I'm a what?
by Agent Bahamas
Summary: Animagi, Metamorphmagi, werewolves, Veelas, Boggarts, and Kelpies are the shape shifters of the wizarding world. As Harry learns in his first year, he realizes he is one too , though he's not sure what he really is exactly.
1. Death and Grim

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable Harry Potter characters, settings, etc. are the property of J.K Rowling. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. Seriously. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author. Any similarity to any real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.**

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**A huge thank you to my beta readers, PhoenixFanatic999 and mione the kneazle, for making this story bearable for mortal eyes.  
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**Death and Grim**

Death frowned at what the flows of Fate had done once again; though predictably, the cause was human free will. Human will, quite was fickle indeed. To some degree, a human's fate is pretty much decided even before birth, everything down to their deaths as if a book has already stated everything that was to happen. The choices they make can very well change their supposed fate in some small way or in its entirety.

However human will wouldn't simply go along, freedom of choice could cause a slight change of will and any part of any page could change the rest of the content of the book. It could, in fact, change many other books' pages. The changes could happen once, twice, again and again, or simply never. The only thing predictable of a human is that they are unpredictable.

Tom Marvolo Riddle. A fine example of exactly that.

It had been a long time since Death had taken the fragments of a human soul. This human in particular had done what no other man had done before, he had split his souls more times than any other human. All because of him, a lot of the humans along with other races like the goblins and house elves were dying, Death simply went to do Its task. If anything, Death knew that Riddle would make more of these Horcruxes, as much as the soul of his could be split.

'Another human who thinks he can escape Me,' Death watched as Voldemort wreaked havoc with his magic.

Apparently Death's attention on the human had enticed Fate to join His side.

Fate scoffed, 'Has any human ever?'

Death watched on, 'Fate, I look forward to see the means that would lead this particular Riddle to Me.'

'It is amusing to see his attempts of escaping You, isn't it? As unpredictable as some of these humans can be, Death, none of them has ever in fact found a way to escape You,' replied Fate.

'Whatever they do, it is inevitable; what they think is a way of escaping Me is nothing more as what is intended on their path towards Me,' Death remembered many of those who tried.

As of right now, Nicolas Flamel and his beloved wife, Perenelle Flamel, thought they were living an immortal life thanks to the creation of the Philosopher's stone. In time, the couple would die and sometime later so would Tom Marvolo Riddle. Nothing ever dies before or after their intended time, Death was never early nor late when it came to taking them to the next great adventure. He could appear before them much earlier if Fate deemed it to be, but the removal of the soul itself was, is, and would always be on time.

The ever reincarnating phoenixes were the only creatures that would never truly experience death. As amazing as that may be, Death knew phoenixes could never find true peace, evident in their brief shriek of their burning before they are reborn again.

'It is already taking place,' Fate felt another event taking place as it should be, though this time a little change was made.

In one particular pub called the Hogs Head, young Sybil Trelawney made the prophecy to a much surprised Albus Dumbledore, unknown to them was that Severus Snape had been eavesdropping.

"_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives..._"

Death was already intrigued as Snape ran off, upon being thrown out of the pub, after only hearing half of the prophecy and was about to report to his master.

'Power that he knows not?' asked Death.

Unlike Fate, Death's knowledge of all existence came only when the mortal beings come into existence, along with the knowledge of the time of their deaths. Never truly assured how one dies, only when.

'It would only be fitting that a dark yet incredible wizard such as him would be taken out a wizard just as incredible, if not more so, than him.' replied Fate.

'I expect nothing less. What exactly is it?'

'The only thing I will tell You is that it will be interesting, very interesting indeed,' Fate chuckled.

As the human saying goes, Death would have to 'wait and see'. Death wondered whether He'd be personally involved in these two humans' journey towards their deaths. After all, they were descendants of the Peverell brothers. The siblings were special indeed, for it was within their fate to have Death play a role towards their deaths.

'Ignotus, perhaps this descendant of yours will astound Me just as much as you did, if not more,' said Death.

It was on the late night of the thirty first of October that Death watched Lord Voldemort deliver the Killing Curse on the Child of Prophecy. A large of the portion of the Potter Cottage disintegrated along with the Dark Wizard's body from the rebound of the curse. The process as painful as his inhuman deeds deemed it to be. Beyond pain, beyond agony, beyond the limits of the comprehension of the human body, such words did little justice as Voldemort would describe it from his resurrection years later. Just as Death had it, the accursed fragmented soul within His grasp, it split into two before they wisped away. One fragment sped away out onto the outside world, while another latched itself onto the crying toddler, the only living thing amongst the ruins of the room.

'What?' Death knew that Fate was enjoying this.

Death didn't leave, not yet, since He knew very well that He'd have a fragment of the wizard's soul. Young Harry cried in pain, he wanted his parents to come and take away the pain, to comfort him, lull him to sleep. The flash of green light had caused such an intense pain, now another one was making his head hurt.

They didn't come.

His mother, his father, Uncle Sirius, Uncle Moony, none of them came.

The pain worsened as the cries became louder.

Another agonizing scream joined in, hisses of black smoke erupted from the bleeding lightning bolt shaped wound. It wasn't Fiendfyre, nor was it Basilisk venom, but something much more powerful than that. The powerful ancient magic that was Lilly Potter's protection for her son burned away the hold of Voldemort's soul. Once again Death wretched out the soul agonizingly, and this time the soul was His to hold and bring. Death looked down upon the crying toddler, without a doubt traces of magic of the soul fragment had been left behind within him.

'Till we meet again, Harry James Potter,' Death left the last of the Potters alone.

Then the nursery within the Potter's cottage disappeared, where everything was plain white everywhere. In that short time within the empty space, Death dragged the fragmented soul as it whimpered in fear, its mutilated flayed body bleed all over leaving a slowly disappearing trail of blood.

'You wish to split your soul into seven, Riddle?' asked Death, as he held the small fragmented soul by its left leg like a dead chicken, 'Truly ambitious, I will give you that.'

The soul fragment hugged itself tighter.

'Time and time again you paid no heed to the warnings of meddling with the essence of one's self, one's own soul. Your ignorance is only beaten by your own arrogance. Did you really think you can escape Me? ' Death tightened His grip on the skinny leg of the soul. 'You shall be the first of your own self to suffer.'

Everything changed upon the final word uttered by Death, the blankness of space was replaced with crimson red. An unexplainable intense heat had suddenly enveloped Voldemort's soul as Death dangled it by its foot once more. Sweat and blood trickled over its skin as it stared upside down at Death, who had taken the very form of Voldemort's fear. This form had rotting flesh, the ugliest Inferi was nothing in comparison to this grotesque figure, black blood oozed from its various wounds, while maggots squirmed and nibbled all around its body, literally everything Voldemort had feared.

'Seven pieces of the same soul… you will be one of the few humans to suffer the torments of all seven levels of Hell. Don't worry. I am just and fair.' Death assured the piece of soul. 'Inevitably, I will have every single one of split selves to suffer the same fate. When that time comes, I will have each of you on every level, taking turns to suffer all levels, and rotate the cycle, for all eternity.'

"No…" whimpered the soul.

In one moment, Death stood in front the gates of Hell with the dangling soul. Faces of various tortured creatures from demons to humans could be seen over surface of the metallic gates. The two gates each had a massive skeleton, Cyclops judging from the only eye hole of the skull, with their hands crossed over their breastbone and ribs much like mummies. What seemed like gates upright before them had changed when Death was now floating while the gates opened below like a trap door. Screams, screeches, moans, and cries were heard despite the roars of the blazing flames.

'Good bye, Tom Marvolo Riddle.' Death simply gave his farewell as He released the soul's leg, and watched as it fell down to the scorching black flames of Hell.

The gates slammed shut as Death floated away, and scoffed upon remembering one particular popular theory made by the very few who knew of Horcruxes.

'Eternal limbo? As if that will ever happen.' Death scoffed.

It would be another eleven years before Death would claim the soul fragment from the Horcrux that was Tom's diary.

-Change Scene and time-

Nine years old Harry Potter ran as fast his feet could, something hard to do given the pants that were two sizes too big for him and the pitiful state of the shoes that he wore. Outrunning his cousin Dudley was easy, but the same couldn't be said about his cousin's friends; Piers Polkiss, Dennis, Gordon and Malcolm.

'_Why couldn't Dudley make friends the size of baby killer whales like himself?'_ Harry took a glance over his shoulder, only to trip over a rock.

His taped up glasses fell, causing his vision to be obscured, just as he momentarily skidded off the grass of the playground. He could already hear their footsteps, the chase was over, and they no longer needed run upon seeing they fallen target. Harry quickly reached for his glasses and instinctively curled himself into a fetal position awaiting their kicks and punches. He couldn't risk damaging his glasses beyond repair.

The typical beating would usually take place, and after that Piers would hold him up and let Dudley punch him a few times while the rest watched once the young Dursley caught up with them. Strangely enough, this time there weren't any beating whatsoever. In fact he didn't hear anything after a short moment, no more sounds of approaching footsteps or laughs. Harry took a peek, and yet did see with his poor eye sight any of their silhouettes surrounding him.

Only when he wore his glasses did he see Dudley's friends, they warily stood a safe distance from him. The apprehensive looks on their faces troubled him, it was then he realized they weren't looking at him but behind him. Harry turned around and discovered the cause of their fear, there was a dog a few feet away. He was now just as scared as they were. It was the biggest dog he had ever seen, its shaggy black fur added more to its fearsome look. It snarled menacingly towards Dudley's friends though Harry thought it was directed towards him too. The dog ran towards them, before Harry could even get up to run away. It easily leapt over Harry's head and barked at Dudley's friends upon landing. Dudley's closest friend, Polkiss, peed in his pants as all four of them ran off haphazardly, each one hoping the dog would settle on chasing the other. Harry Potter was the last thing on their mind as they ran back home for safety.

For some reason, Harry just stood and watched when the black dog sent them running. He cursed at his own foolishness for not taking the chance to run upon seeing the dog turning around to face him. However, for some reason, to Harry, it seemed as if the dog was surprised when it laid its eyes on him. No longer menacing in demeanor, the dog continued to stare at him.

"Er…please don't bite me," pleaded Harry.

The dog simply stood there, the action slowly banishing away Harry's dislike of dogs.

No one in the muggle world or the magical world would ever consider the thought that the black dog that was in front of him was the notorious Sirius Black, escaped prisoner of Azkaban. Harry had heard the name of Sirius Black from the Dursleys, an announcement at school was even made, pictures of him that students should be wary of. But for a boy who didn't even know his parents, let alone his magical heritage or godfather, he wouldn't even consider the idea that the dog before him was the wanted man. The only two people alive who knew this fact were a werewolf and a distressed Animagus.

"Thank you, for chasing them away," said Harry.

Sirius huffed, it was the least any godfather should do.

"Can you…understand me?"

Sirius nodded, slowly approached his godson, and simply nuzzled his nose at Harry's hand. Harry didn't seem to mind whether the dog was a wild dog, a stray, or anything odd about the animal. With misery being a major part of his life and yet watched jealously the happiness that his cousin showed, Harry would take what he could. Beggars can't be choosers. Right there before him, was a dog that seemed to understand his every word and didn't hate or avoid him like everyone else he knew.

"I guess not all dogs are bad," commented Harry as he petted the dog; he quickly added when realized what he just said, "Sorry, it's just that I had a bad experience with a pet dog. It was an accident really, not like I wanted to step on that mutt's paw in the first place. I told it that I was sorry, but it kept chasing me. My aunt let that dog of hers chase me up a tree and she only called off when it was past midnight."

Anger blazed within Sirius, something that Harry sensed despite the subtle narrowing of the eyes.

"I'm glad I got to meet you. You're a nice dog," said Harry, "Um…Can we be friends? I've never really had anyone… "

Sirius was tormented, he wanted to do at that moment was revert back and hug the boy. He had been blinded by grief of James' and Lilly's death, anger of Peter's betrayal, not seeing the grave mistake upon hearing Hagrid telling of Harry's fate. To be brought to and taken by the Dursleys on Dumbledore's orders. The only thing he could do for now was simply lick the boy, which earned him hearing the laughter of his godson.

"I wish I could bring you home, but I can't. My uncle and aunt complain about taking care me. All I get are my cousin's things instead of buying me anything. I don't think they'd let me have you as a pet. They really hate me actually," Harry didn't have to think twice about his relatives' reaction about anything Harry wanted.

It was then Sirius really took notice of Harry's thinness, his hand-me-down clothes and trainers.

"I wonder if I could keep you if my parents didn't die. I'm an orphan, you know, I never knew my parents," said Harry.

Sirius clenched his fangs tight in response.

"They died in a car accident," Harry continued.

'_Car accident?'_ Sirius repeated in his head.

"If they were," Harry paused and later frowned, oblivious to the internal struggle within Sirius, "they probably wouldn't let me keep you either. My uncle said my father didn't work, he was a drunk."

'_WHAT?'_ Sirius yelled in thought, eyes widened upon hearing the fabrication, such insult towards James.

"Hey, it's alright. Please don't be angry about them," Harry sensed more of the dog's anger, "It doesn't matter, because we're going to be friends, aren't we?"

Sirius didn't how long he could continue like this, he really wanted to change back. Hug his godson, right whatever wrong that has happened to him, and tell him the truth of it all. But he maintained his form, and let himself be hugged and comforted by his godson.

As time passed by, Harry slowly poured out everything he thought of, a brief introduction of himself, what he felt, to the dog in front of him. He never had told anyone about his life with the Dursleys, their mistreatment, being bullied. Untill now.

Happiness simply wasn't something Harry was allowed to feel in their eyes. But he had made a resolve that he'd keep this sliver of happiness somehow. "I could come and see you whenever I can?"

Sirius barked in agreement, knowing that Harry understood. The last of the ancient and noble family of Black had just decided that he would probably have dig up a den at his hiding spot last night. Sirius would have to bid his time, especially since he didn't have a wand, he couldn't appear out in the open. All those months of he waited patiently and starved to enable himself to slip in between the prison in his Animagus form. He had made a resolve to be by his godson's side, even if it meant remaining as a dog. Sirius beckoned Harry to follow him to the spot he had been hiding and sleeping the day before, again his godson understood him. At their hiding place, Harry continued talking and occasionally petting the dog with much ease, without the worry of his cousin or anyone else finding him.

It was quite a while before Harry quickly realized he had to go home and help Aunt Petunia prepare dinner. Sirius nuzzled his nose just before Harry bade farewell and left.

"See you again tomorrow, Snuffles." said Harry.

'_Azkaban couldn't keep me away from you, Harry. I'll definitely see you tomorrow,' _Sirius wagged his tail.

Snuffles.

Sirius would have to get used with that name after barking in disapproval again and again at various names Harry had suggested. Harry even suggested 'Black' upon thinking of the color of his fur after numerous rejections, in which Sirius shook his head vigorously much to Harry's surprise.

Just has Harry had said, he visited Sirius whenever he could go. As long as he did his chores and came back before dark, the Dursleys were more than happy to let the boy out of their house and out of their sight. Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months and the next thing Sirius knew, it was already Christmas. Near the end of that year, Harry didn't complain when got his Christmas present from Aunt Marge. The Dursleys laughed when he finished tearing the newspaper wrappers off the big box. He knew the large size of his present was probably some attempt to give him false hope, for them to laugh at his crestfallen face upon finding out what it was. However, inwardly Harry was all too happy to receive it and was more eager than ever to go see Snuffles. Hopefully the dog would be happy.

Harry had after all received a box of dog biscuits.

Sirius however was not happy from the very moment his keen sense of smell picked up two familiar scents.

'_This changes nothing. I won't run,'_ Sirius's resolve had been made.

"I'm surprised you're still here, Sirius."

Hiding in his den would be no use. He'd have to face them one way or another. The black dog that was Sirius Black stood unmoved in front of his den, other people besides Harry had finally walked into this hiding place he had called home. The sound of crushing snow could be heard, getting louder and louder.

"Here I thought you would have turn tail, literally, the moment you could have picked our scent," a shabby man walked in, a wand in his right hand pointed directly at the dog.

Remus Jonathan Lupin had finally made his appearance.

"Sirius? Sirius Black?" A much older woman came out.

His former Transfiguration teacher, Minerva McGonagall, was there too. Sirius was quite surprised when he had picked up Minerva's scent, thinking she should be celebrating Christmas at Hogwarts along with its other staff members and students.

"The one and only." answered Lupin, never taking his eyes off the dog. "Change now, Sirius,"

"An Animagus?" McGonagall realized, this had turned to be a surprise indeed.

"Change and face me like a man, Sirius!" Lupin warned.

"No man would ever do what he did, Remus," McGonagall snapped, with her own wand out.

"I have questions that need to be answered, Minerva. I want him to answer it tonight, no matter what." Lupin continued.

McGonagall watched as Sirius changed himself back into a human, though she was a bit astounded at the transformation despite she herself was an Animagus. The gaunt, sunken face with a waxy looking face and long matted hair replaced what was once a young man graced with such an aristocratic look.

"Tell me now. Sirius. Tell me why you did it. Why you betrayed James and Lilly. Why you killed Peter." Remus shook where he stood, not because of the coldness of the winter's night but in anger.

"I never betrayed them. What I did was as good as killing them, that I know, but I never betrayed them." Sirius answered miserably.

"What do you mean you didn't?" shouted Lupin , "You sold them out to your-"

"Never! That traitorous rat sold them out to his master!" this time Sirius interrupted Lupin. "If I was a Death Eater, don't you think Harry would be dead already? I was never the Secret Keeper. It was Peter! He was the Secret Keeper! He was the spy, the Death Eater, the traitor."

Lupin and McGonagall were rendered speechless. Before the both of them could consider the possibility of Sirius lying to them, he continued.

"I begged to James and Lilly to change at the last minute. I would have been too obvious. I thought I was better off as a decoy." Sirius recounted, now angry at himself. "Nobody else knew, not you, not even Dumbledore. That night, at the arranged time that I'd be checking Peter's hiding place, I knew something was wrong when he wasn't there. I thought somehow they found him, but there was nothing. Nothing, not a single sign of struggle. He was gone, I realized he had fled."

"Peter?" Lupin was still trying to comprehend the betrayal, the real traitor.

"I apparated back, only to see the house destroyed, James and Lily dead. I was there when Hagrid took Harry under Dumbledore's orders." Sirius scowled, something that didn't go unnoticed by the wizard and the witch. "Peter lied about everything before he blew himself up along with those muggles."

"You're not the spy," it finally sank in, Lupin walked up to Sirius and hugged him before McGonagall could shout at him.

Sirius returned the gesture though to him McGonagall still didn't look convinced.

"All the witnesses said you laughed like a maniac at the scene before the aurors arrested you, Kingsley himself was there." Minerva commented.

"I definitely laughed alright. I wanted to kill him more than anything after seeing James and Lilly dead. I didn't care, I thought I had nothing to lose, Azkaban or a Dementor's kiss didn't matter as long as I got to kill him. He took away Lilly, James, and he took away my only chance to kill him.

"How did you escape? How did you survive Azkaban in the first place?" asked McGonagall.

This puzzled Lupin too, it left everyone in magical Britain wondering as to how the man ever escaped the wizard prison.

"I tried to remain as sane as I could. Definitely not a happy place of rainbows and ponies, Moony, Minerva. I watched a lot of people around me slowly go mad there. Lose their will to live. Most just stop eating rather than continue on living in misery. Any prisoner could tell when another one is just about to die. All one has to do is look at the Dementors, they always get excited when someone is about to die, they can sense it."

"But you survived." remarked McGonagall.

"Not everyone there in Azkaban are driven mad and die, I hate to say it but those who don't were all captured Death Eaters." Sirius scowled at the thought. "I remained sane by focusing on one thought. It wasn't a happy thought, it was an obsession for me, the Dementors couldn't take it away from me. I held on to it, that I didn't betray Lilly and James, Peter did, he was the Secret Keeper. If they got too close, I turned into my Animagus form. They couldn't tell the difference, their effects lessened greatly, animal thoughts were simpler, more primal, you would know that, Minerva."

"As for Death Eaters?" asked Lupin.

"They had the same idea that I did. They were obsessed with the thought of Voldemort's return." Sirius watched Lupin and McGonagall became perturbed upon hearing the tabooed name. "I could hear it in their sleep. Some talked if Peter was alive, they'd kill him. It was obvious, wasn't it? Their supposed spy turned against them, their master gone after acting on Peter's information about James and Lilly." Sirius.

Remus tossed his wand to Sirius, much to McGonagall's alarm. She wasn't completely convinced, she had been worried for Harry's safety ever since finished reading the news of Sirius's escape.

"Well, you know what to do, Sirius." Lupin smirked.

Sirius held up the wand as if he was starting a duel, then he made the magical oath on his life that he wasn't the secret keeper. He didn't stop there, going into detail of everything he could think of and banishing McGonagall's doubts. By the time he finished, standing pretty much still alive, McGonagall finally put her wand away.

"I still want to know how you escaped, Sirius," McGonagall worried that if long term prisoners like convicted Death Eaters could stay sane like Sirius, then they could escape.

"I starved myself until I could fit my way through the prison bars while in my Animagus form. Then I nearly died while swimming my way across the North Sea."

"You starved and swam across the North Sea?"

"Hard to believe, isn't it? I was surprised myself at first after realizing I did, I realized that only after I finally reached here." Sirius simply continued on the conversation, disregarding the coldness of winter. "But as mad and impossible as it was, I didn't care, after remembering why I broke out in the first place. To fulfill my duty as godfather."

"Harry…" Lupin whispered though both McGonagall and Sirius heard it.

"Harry." Sirius nodded. "It hurts seeing what I have done by simply leaving him that night. Going after Peter instead of being the godfather that James and Lilly wanted me to be. I should have taken him in instead of letting Hagrid take him under Dumbledore's orders. "

There it was again, the anger within the escaped prisoner's eyes when he said Leader of the Light's name. It was as if the look destroyed everything he just said to the werewolf and the Animagus, after all this was a man believed to be a Death Eater and he seemed to be seethe in anger whenever he said Dumbledore's name.

"Those accursed Blood Wards are nothing but the lesser of two evils," said Sirius, arms crossed, "Between having him living in danger where Voldemort's followers could attack him, or living all hated and abused but still protected."

"I warned Albus, but he wouldn't listen." McGonagall shook her head, "I watched those Durleys the whole day I waited for Hagrid to bring the boy. They were the worst sort of muggles imaginable."

"A whole day?" Lupin looked at her.

"Of course it would take him a whole day, Hagrid can't actually apparate or ride a broom, can he?" Sirius snorted, "Not that I hate the big lug or anything, I just don't know why Albus chose him of all people. All of us in the Order always knew it's not exactly easy for him to travel. I told him to wait there, I had to apparate back home and bring over my bike for him to use."

It was then McGonagall finally knew why it took Hagrid so long. It wasn't like Sirius could perform side along apparition with the Groundskeeper of Hogwarts and Harry that night. Hagrid's half-giant blood would have messed up the magic in performing the apparition. It was faster for Sirius to bring over the bike and let Hagrid take it than for Hagrid to travel from Godric's Hollow to Little Whinging.

"You tracked Peter after that," stated Lupin.

Sirius nodded, "He wasn't hard to find, all I did was just trace his smell from the hiding place."

But before two could ask him about it, Sirius finally asked a question. "How did you two find me?"

"Sheer. Dumb. Luck." McGonagall answered. "I met Remus yesterday while I was visiting James and Lilly's graves at Godric's Hollow. I asked him to join me in visiting a friend of mine, someone who I recently found out had been keeping watch of Harry under Albus' so called request. "

Remus was assessing Sirius, waiting for his reaction. Knowing him, Sirius had probably thought he had covered his tracks and hid well.

"Her name is Arabella Figg." Sirius definitely didn't expect that from his former Transfiguration teacher. "I take it you know her?"

"Harry talks about her, the only person he actually likes. Everyone else is too busy hating him, abusing him, or avoiding him." Sirius replied. "Old lady obsessed with cats, lives two blocks away. Gave him a hard time at first, a sweet person whenever Harry drops by when his 'family' goes out and must have someone to babysit him."

McGonagall exchanged looks with Lupin.

_-Flashback-_

_Arabella stared at her tea. "Albus told me to not tell the poor boy, said he was too young. All I was told to do was to give him a hard time. If those Dursleys found out he enjoys being under my care, they probably would find someone else to babysit him. Many times I watched him play with Mr. Tibbles and the others whenever he thought I wasn't there or asleep. I hated myself, every time I did. For the way I treated a boy, an abused boy, who likes playing with them. The Kneazles, the cats, and even the mixed told me I should have done better. Mr. Paws actually scratched me at one time when I was about to serve the boy a purposely ruined chocolate cake." _

_Their cups of tea were left forgotten. _

"_I respect Albus, I really do, Minerva. But I couldn't do it anymore. If I couldn't tell him anything, the least I could do for Harry was not to make things harder than it already is. I let him play with Mr. Tibbles and the rest, and always warned him to never let the Dursleys find out. It was better than boring him with the pictures of all the cats I've ever owned."_

_-End Flashback-_

"Mr. Tibbles." said Sirius in remembering the times he spent with that cat.

Harry told him that the cat was just one of the many cats that his neighbor kept, nothing to be agitated about. The two spent their time at their hiding place as usual while the cat simply watched over them from a tree branch. Both Sirius and simply got along with Harry being their common interest. Unknown to him, the cat's intelligence and manner could be attributed to the fact that it was one eighth kneazle. Not that anyone else could have figured it anyways.

"Yes, Mr. Tibbles." McGonagall smiled, the look of a wizard's acknowledgment to a cat's intelligence always did make her happy, "I was surprised the moment Remus here became so worried when we found out Harry has been spending time with a big black dog. I thought he was being foolish, thinking it was a Grim, the usual rubbish that comes to mind for many whenever one thinks of a big black dog. Wanting to know more, where it is, immediately coming here the moment we got directions."

"You figured it out and took no chances. You always were the smarter one, Moony," Sirius complimented.

"I'd say we got lucky, Padfoot. Besides Minerva, Arabella probably wouldn't have told anyone else about Harry. Furthermore, who better to ask directions from a cat than an Animagus that can turn into one? She wouldn't have known that Harry's beloved dog is actually you, if I hadn't come along with her the entire time," said Lupin.

"What are we going to do about all this?" asked McGonagall.

"One thing I want to make it clear is that I'm staying here. I'm much better off looking out after him whenever he walks outside the blood ward." Sirius started off. "Figg has her pets keeping an eye on Harry. But it still isn't enough, it might be all too late by the time she contacts for help."

"And an Animagus with no wand like you is better?" Lupin smirked.

"Better than Squib at least." Sirius replied with his own smirk.

"Why won't you just confess everything? We'll come with you, I can have Albus-" suggested McGonagall.

"No! Not Dumbledore!" Sirius bit off. "If he could have or wanted to actually do anything, he would already have eight years ago before I got sent to Azkaban. Without a trial."

"But-" again McGonagall didn't get a chance to finish.

"No!" Sirius wouldn't listen, already knowing what they were thinking of. After all, he himself did have the same thoughts. "They sent me to Azkaban without a trial. Remus! Minerva! They gave trials to all captured Death Eaters, but not for me. You think they'll listen? The Aurors won't take any chances. I am, let's face it, a so called dangerous prisoner with powerful dark arts for escaping Azkaban. They'll have me receive the Dementor's Kiss rather than listen let alone believe to what I have to say. I won't, not now at least."

The last part appeased Lupin and McGonagall for the moment.

It was until late of night that the two wizards and the witch talked, mostly about Harry. The times Sirius wanted to do something about the Dursleys, he found out his godson had been having a rough time, which was often. Something had to be done, and yet they knew it had to be kept a secret from Dumbledore. As great as he was, the old wizard had been wrong in whatever he did whenever Harry was involved in some way or another. Sirius didn't want to take chances with Dumbledore in mind, at least until the time seemed right.

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**Rate and Review? **

**Looking forward to hearing readers' feedback. **

**I had a hard time thinking of the title and the summary than the story itself. But I'm happy with the title 'I'm a what?' after some deep thought and reviewing the movies. I remembered him reacting pretty much the same in two movies, I checked just in case and I was right.  
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**Harry Potter and the Sorceror's/Philosopher's Stone: **

**"You're a wizard, Harry." smiled Hagrid. **

**"I'm a what?"**

**Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets:**

** Ron remarked, "You're a Parselmouth. Why didn't you tell us?" **

**"I'm a what?"  
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	2. Confrontations

**The stories on this site are based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books, Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No copyright or trademark infringement is intended. ****This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. Seriously. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author. Any similarity to any real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.**

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**********A huge thank you to my beta reader, PhoenixFanatic999, for making this story bearable for mortal eyes.**  


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**Confrontations**

It was a dream; he knew it was a dream, the fact that he stood knee deep in a stream where with mountains all around, admiring Mother Nature that was his dreamscape. He had never seen such a plain of green grass before, clear blue cloudless sky, crystal clear flowing water and breathed such refreshing air.

"Whoa…" Harry was mesmerized.

A gentle breeze swept by, he actually closed his eyes and chuckled as he felt it over his messy hair and skin. When he opened his eyes, he saw a stag and a doe on one side of the stream. Before he could say anything, he felt something behind him and quickly turned around. On the other side of the stream was Snuffles, with his tongue out and wagging his tail excitedly. He took a quick a glance at the stag and doe, then back at Snuffles. Snuffles was no longer alone, a snowy owl was perched on his head, a tabby cat stood by his left, a wolf on his right, while a fox, an otter, and a hedgehog were in a line up front.

"Snuffles?"Harry was puzzled. "Are they your friends?"

The snow white owl took flight, straight towards him which Harry proceeded to held out his arm. It landed while hooting proudly with its puffed out feathery chest.

"Hello." Harry smiled.

It hooted back while looking at him with its amber yellow eyes.

"Do you want to be my friend too?" asked Harry.

Another flap of its wings, the owl flew back onto Snuffle's head. Again it hooted, with its head went up and down beckoning Harry to come join them. Harry walked gingerly through the stream's current, keeping his eye on the small group of animals the whole time. When he finally walked out of the stream, he could no longer hear the flow. His dreamscape changed as the stream and the other side of it where the stag and doe once stood completely disappeared. He was suddenly standing at the edge of a cliff, in which the sound of the stream had been replaced with the loud crashing of waves down below. The other side was now the sea that stretched out to the horizon, this was another scene that Harry had never seen before in his entire life.

"Is that the sea?" Harry slowly looked from left to right, admiring the view.

Snuffles merely barked, while the rest approached him.

A myriad of animals began to pop up into existence all around Harry, he was taken aback by the sheer number of animals he had never seen or even thought existed. Numerous land creatures big and small, from domestic to wild, of the frigid polar ice to those of the hot desert sands, stood in gathering across the plain. It didn't matter if there were animals that Harry had never heard or read about, whether he knew what they were or not, it was beyond doubt entrancing.

When Harry looked up, he saw so many birds and bats fly up above in circle. They were much more difficult to be distinguished, but Harry was captivated just the same. Some repeatedly flapped their wings while others simply seem to spread out their wings and merely soar. The brief blow of water from the sea alerted Harry that it was from a whale's blow hole, he was then shown the simultaneous breeching of a dolphin, a killer whale, and a great white shark.

"This… This is… wow, Snuffles," Harry was almost speechless, there were probably just as many if not more creatures swimming in the water that he just couldn't see.

It was then all the creatures of the land, air, and sea simultaneously began making noises. Roars, howls, barks, squawks, screeches, croaks, hisses, along with stomps of hooves or paws could be heard. Harry noticed them glowing white altogether, the light all around him became brighter and brighter though he simply stood there. He didn't shield himself with his hands, his eyes didn't shut, nor did he turn away from all the bright lights.

Harry woke up, finding himself resting his back against a tree and the book 'A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration' on his lap.

"Had a nice nap, Harry?"

Said boy was at his godfather's hiding place, the same place he had been going for almost two years. At first to spend time with a big black shaggy dog at its den, now to spend time with his godfather, and occasionally visited by a werewolf and a cat Animagus. One of Mrs. Figg's pets did accompany Harry from time to time. His godfather smiled from where he sat, by the entrance of the den, where several books lay all around on the ground. The den was concealed amongst the trees and thick bushes, also surrounded by Muggle repelling wards.

"Hm? Oh yeah," Harry momentarily lifted his glasses and rubbed his eyes, "I had that dream again."

Harry could never really remember what the dream was about; all he could remember was the blinding white light. Though he always did feel completely invigorated every time he woke up from that dream, something that Sirius wasn't worried about. Both McGonagall and Lupin had given Harry a lot of books to read, some stored at Mrs. Figg's house while others in Sirius' den. His favorite book was 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' by Newt Scamander. Harry stared at the Transfiguration book before him, it had been a gift from 'Aunt Minnie', and he had been reading it from cover to cover again and again ever since. He frowned, albeit only slightly, upon thinking the overall content of the book and the basic theory of Transfiguration and its branches of magic.

"You want to tell me what's wrong?" asked Sirius.

"It's nothing," Harry's frown disappeared.

"Come on now, you know I'll keep asking you until you tell me what's on your mind." Sirius quickly got up and sat beside Harry, "now tell me."

"Is it really hard? I mean," Harry flipped through the pages, and looked at his godfather, "Aunt Minnie told me Transfiguration is the hardest thing I'll learn in Hogwarts."

"That's what got you worried?" Sirius

It still tickled Sirius' funny bone whenever Harry called her 'Aunt Minnie', the witch was well known as a serious, stern, and emotionally composed disciplinarian at Hogwarts. As professional as she was, she did have a close relation with Lilly, and showed a softer side to the Potters. Sirius could still remember the look of her face when one year old Harry had called her 'Unnie Minnie' after much of James' teasing when she had dropped by.

"How hard is it? Learning how to change into an animal? Because I really want to become just like you," Harry finally confessed, "Aunt Minnie, and my dad…"

To Harry, the magic that is Transfiguration interested him more than any other subjects, much to McGonagall's delight. Sirius finally knew the reason why, the first performance of magic Harry had seen was of his dog turning into a human. Apparently Harry's interest in Transfiguration was more because of his interest in becoming an Animagus.

"You want to become an Animagus?" Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Of course!" The excitement in Harry's eyes made it even harder for Sirius as he thought about the idea.

"Already planned of exploring Hogwarts under a full moon with the friends you'll make?" Sirius joked.

"May be," Harry had never really thought about it, he looked at his godfather, "it doesn't actually have to be during a full moon."

Sirius laughed, and proceeded to ruffling Harry's already messy hair. Harry looked happy at the prospect of making friends of his age.

"You'll get to make the best of friends there," assured Sirius.

"You really think so?" asked Harry.

"I know you will. Let me tell you the one thing your father told me about friends, it was when I had ran away and stayed with the Potters. The same thing your grandfather taught your father."

Sirius always had Harry's undivided attention, just as Harry always had his.

"Be the best person you can be to those around you, no matter what. Trust your friends, believe in them. Don't let anything get in between you and your friends. One of the greatest things about your father was his unwavering trust in his friends; in me, in Remus, and even Peter…" Sirius trailed off and sucked a breath. "Peter's betrayal of your father's trust shouldn't stop you from trusting your friends."

Funny, the first time he heard it he wondered it sounded more along the lines of a Hufflepuff rather than a Gryffindor. Perhaps it was more of the courage in facing any adversity because of a friend, to let nothing falter one's belief for his friend.

"I won't." Harry took the lesson to heart.

"Minerva meant every word she said, Harry. I'll admit, Transfiguration was the hardest compared to all the other subjects, your father and I spent three years becoming Animagi. James always seemed to have a knack for Transfiguration. He was always better than me and Remus ever since I could remember." Sirius reminisced his years at Hogwarts. "Do you think you'll be up for it?"

"So you'll teach me?"

"Either that or you'll be trying to learn it in secret." Sirius answered, "At least with me keeping an eye on things, it wouldn't be too hard or dangerous. Not sure what Minerva would say about this if she finds out. On one hand, she knows a whole lot about Transfiguration more than I ever will. If we're lucky, she might even give you lessons by the time she finds out."

"Doesn't matter. Promise you'll teach me?"

"I promise." Sirius assured him.

"Do you think I'll have to register like Aunt Minnie?"

Sirius snorted, "I think we'd be better off being our little secret, Harry."

Being by Harry's side was changing Sirius just as much all those dreaded years in Azkaban had done to him. Sirius would spend most of his time in contemplation of his godson whenever Harry wasn't around. While he was known to be courageous and loyal, he too was known for his recklessness, immaturity, and ill temper. Sirius hated to deny it, but Remus once pointed out he was quite vicious to those he loathed, particularly his so called prank in telling Snape the way to the Shrieking Shack. Almost killing Severus, exposing Remus' secret as a werewolf at the time, and expulsion was the least of the Marauders' concern if the 'prank' actually worked.

It was the reason that totally surprised him when James and Lilly made him Harry's godfather, he knew he was very close to James but at the same time thought Lupin was the better man. Sirius even asked if this was some sort of prank, James had a good laugh because of it though Lilly only assured him it wasn't. If there was one thing he really benefited from Azkaban, it was the strengthening of his resolve to become the godfather he was meant to be.

'_Well, you two, how am I doing?'_ Sirius looked up at the canopy of leaves where rays of sunlight beamed in between_. 'Not too bad of a godfather, I hope.'_

"Hey Sirius?" Harry asked tentatively.

"Hm?"

"I'm really glad you're my godfather," Harry grinned, the happiest Sirius had ever seen him.

"I'm glad too, Harry," Sirius sighed as he savored this moment, just adding another memory of their time together. "I really am."

May be it was pure coincidence, or some assurance that he was on the right track, but it really didn't matter, not to escaped prisoner.

o.o.O.O.O.O.o.o

Harry woke up to the sound of thunder booming and storm pelting against the window. It was raining, hard, judging by the constant rain drops that pelted on the dull window panes. The flashes of lightning, the rumbling of thunder, and the crashing waves over the rocky island didn't stop the island's four guests from sleeping. It was no good night's sleep, despite the tedious day spent to reach the place. Apparently this would be the second place Harry had ever slept besides his cupboard under the stairs. The other place was Mrs. Figg's house in which he stayed over whenever the Dursleys went out on vacation.

Though he couldn't really say this was improvement. It was much bigger, but was also dustier and had a mustier smell altogether than his cupboard. Harry didn't know how in the world his uncle, Vernon, found out about such a place to hide. He didn't even know why such place existed in the middle of nowhere in the place. This was a sad excuse of a human dwelling on an island that was made up mostly of rocks in god knows where.

"Ouch." Harry winced a bit as he felt the fabric of his shirt shift over his back.

The pain on his back had forced him to sleep on his stomach ever since Vernon had whipped him on the day he got his letter. Yells ensued on that morning; Harry told them he knew that he was a wizard, the truth about his parents, and Hogwarts. Petunia figured out that someone somewhere in Little Whinging was a freak just like her nephew. All those times he spent outside the house, it made Petunia remember of her sister, Lilly, and the long haired pale boy. It had been the most painful whipping, Vernon yelled at Harry for his insolence, ungratefulness, and most important of all, thinking he could beat the magic out of him.

Harry stared at the drawing of a birthday cake complete with eleven candles and the words 'Happy Birthday' on the dusty floor, it had been wiped away just before he slept. He wished to be back home as soon as possible, not the cupboard at Number Four Privet Drive, but where he usually meet his surrogate family.

He had been beyond happy when he turned ten, the very first time he had ever celebrated his belated birthday with his cherished family. Thanks to them, he now had clothes and trainers that actually fit. Before he could say anything when he had received his gifts, McGonagall told him that the clothes and trainers had special charms and spells that kept Muggles from noticing them. The Durleys wouldn't notice anything; Petunia herself could hang and fold yet still not notice them. Not that she has ever done so ever since Harry handled washing, hanging, and ironing his own clothes.

Three Dursleys and a Potter sat together just about to eat their breakfast, canned baked beans, when they all heard sounds coming from the chimney. Petunia worriedly turned to her husband who was fetching the shot gun that lay upright on the nearby wall. Harry wondered what his uncle would do next if more letters would flood down the chimney. Would his uncle finally give up and simply hand over the letter? Would he end up getting more whippings from his uncle?

An owl fell down, all black being covered in soot, and flapped its wings in attempt to shake off the soot off its feathers. Upon laying its eyes on Harry, it slowly walked towards him reminiscent to that of a penguin, with a letter in its beak. Vernon finally snapped upon such sight, he could no longer tolerate all the craziness anymore.

"Blasted owl," He closed one eye as he leveled his shotgun, slipped one pudgy finger by the trigger, and took aim at the owl.

"No!" Harry lunged from his seat and grabbed onto Vernon's shotgun seconds before it fired.

The missed shot caused a lamp next to the sofa to be shatter into smithereens, the owl screeched in panic upon hearing the gun shot. Harry fell onto the floor after Vernon easily wretched the shot gun off out from Harry's hold.

"I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF ALL THIS, BOY! YOU HEAR ME!" Vernon shouted, looking down at his nephew. "NO MORE!"

The owl then landed between them, dropped the letter on the floor, and screeched angrily at Vernon.

"You've mailed your last letter, bird," Vernon readied his shot gun and took aim again.

"Don't shoot it!" Harry lunged and grabbed hold of the owl.

"Oh yes I will! You think I'm going to give in? Let you go to that school of freaks?" Vernon narrowed his eyes.

"I won't let you shoot it! I won't! You can tear the letter! Whip me again for all I care. I don't care. Just leave it alone." Harry held the own closer and turned away, looking at his uncle over his shoulder.

"I'm going to blow that bag of feathers, boy, then the next one, and the next one. I'll shoot them all down! Each and every single owl they'll send. Maybe then they'll get the message, and finally stop sending the blasted letters."

"If you're going to shoot it, you'll have to shoot me too!" Harry yelled.

Perhaps it was the stress of being bombarded by the letters day after day, the tiresome journey they went through to reach the hut on the rock in the middle of nowhere. May be it was the lack of proper sleep, the uncomfortable bed, or the hunger. Whatever it was, Vernon Dursleys had chosen the wrong words to shout at his nephew.

"MAY BE I WILL, BOY! I'LL SHOOT YOU NOW, AND FINALLY BE DONE WITH ALL OF THIS!" Vernon shouted.

Suddenly a blast disintegrated the front door into fine sawdust and grains of metal, startling Harry and the Dursleys from the argument. It was one of the rare times in Harry's entire life to ever see McGonagall, Remus, and Snuffles utterly furious.

"What now? Who are you people and wha-" "Vernon stopped yelling, realizing the witch's hat and the robes that Minerva wore, most importantly the wand in her.

He knew full well she had just used to blast the door off its hinges. However it was the man who stood in between the old woman and the extremely shabby clothed man that completely made Vernon and Petunia pale in fear. Sirius was snarling, nothing a man should be able to, regardless of the fact he wasn't Snuffles, and hastily walked towards the four of them.

"Aunt Minnie…Remus… Sirius…" Harry murmured.

The last name jolted the memories of Vernon and Petunia when they thought they've seen the shaggy man before. He was the escaped prisoner, serial murderer announced in the television and newspapers almost two years ago. Petunia and Dudley screamed while Vernon flinched and dropped his shotgun when it had instantly imploded itself under intense pressure of magic. It was now nothing more but a crushed mass of pressurized metal and splintered wood. Dudley tried to hide behind his mother, though it looked ridiculous considering he was quite fat while she was so thin. Vernon looked down at what was once was his shotgun, and then back at Sirius.

"You… you… you're one of them…" Vernon stuttered, realizing the mass murderer was a wizard.

"You're bloody hell right, I am! You accursed piece of swine! You have just abused my godson for the last time!" Sirius yelled.

"G… g... godson?" Petunia shakily looked at Harry and then at Sirius.

"Harry?" McGonagall quickly headed towards the said boy, Lupin right behind her.

"I should curse you right here, right now, Dursley." Sirius' glare on the fat man in front of him intensified, "Change you into a swine, but then what difference would that make? May be I should change you into a fish, and throw you out to sea. No, that would be too easy. What do you two think I should do with them?"

Lupin was helping Harry onto his feet in which the owl hopped out from his hold and flew onto McGonagall's shoulder. Harry hugged the old witch like he always did whenever she came by. She only visited them during the summer, though there were the rare times she did during weekends. Sirius told him that McGonagall was probably skipping a trip to Hogsmeade.

"You actually came," said Harry.

"Of course we came," Lupin turned to the Dursleys, "We're sorry it took so long."

McGonagall hugged back, though Harry cringed and drew back in response. Sirius knew exactly why Harry did just that.

"The bastard whipped you, didn't he?" Sirius knelt down to Harry's back.

Harry remembered the day they looked at his back, it was when he had accidentally shown them on his tenth birthday. Both McGonagall and Lupin gave Harry some of the books of the wizarding world, though Harry wouldn't care less the fact that Lupin's were old. McGonagall had also given his a set of clothes, ones that actually fit him, with charms and spells that would avoid the Dursleys from noticing them. In his excitement of the celebration of his birthday, he had forgotten about the scars on his lower back which Sirius noticed straight away. As much as Lupin hated it, he had to hold Sirius down from rushing straight towards the Dursleys' house.

It was several days later after his birthday that McGonagall brought various potions and salves, of Poppy Pomfrey's recommendations, for Harry's scar and his overall health.

Harry didn't know what to say to Sirius, he couldn't lie to his godfather since this was no trivial matter. He couldn't just tell him to forget about it. It hurt, but at the same time he didn't want Sirius to get angrier than he already was. Would Sirius somehow hurt them? Did he really want Sirius to hurt them, hurt Vernon in particular, like they did to him?

"Dear Merlin," McGonagall covered her mouth in shock.

Lupin glowered at the Dursleys, though he was well prepared to stop Sirius should the Animagus try to harm the Dursleys. Not that they didn't deserve it. Sirius didn't care if his teeth were going to crack from how hard he was gritting his teeth.

"You're not going to live with them ever again, Harry." Sirius looked at the Animagus and the werewolf. "He's moving out, it's now or never. Arabella would be more than happy to have Harry live with her. You said that yourself."

"He's right, Minerva," agreed Lupin.

"But something has to be done about the wards, they'll alert Albus. He'll know, and as much as we all hate to admit it, Arabella's place can't protect Harry like those blood wards can." replied McGonagall.

"Vernon. That cat crazed woman is a freak too…" Petunia mumbled, upon realizing their neighbor's full name, Vernon merely snorted.

Harry grimaced and was about to say something to that insult, though McGonagall was faster.

"Mrs. Dursley, I'd appreciate it if you remain quite, especially since you have just insulted my friend."

"How about we all sit down?" Lupin tried to ease the tension in the air.

"I rather stand. You heard him! Sit and keep your mouths shut, all three of you. You'll talk only when we're talking to you. Well? ARE YOU ALL DEAF? SIT DOWN!" Sirius startled the Dursleys with his yell.

The Dursleys sat back on the chairs, their breakfast of baked beans left unfinished on the table was the last thing on their minds.

"Sirius." Lupin called out to him.

"They deserved that and more, Remus, you know that." Sirius kept his eyes on the three Muggles "Not so nice being the ones yelled at, is it?"

"Let's get back to our conversation about the wards, I think it's safe to say they won't alert Dumbledore," said Lupin.

"But Albus pinpointed out Harry's location to all the way here. He would have sent Hagrid here instead if I hadn't alerted volunteered to see Harry myself."

"He can find Harry's location anytime he wants as long as those blood wards exist, I'll give him that." admitted Sirius, he then pointed out, "But he can't monitor Harry all the time. He wouldn't have looked for Harry if Arabella hadn't told him in the first place. Like I've said, he's only aware of the blood wards' existence."

"As long as they're still there and Arabella tells him everything's fine, he won't bother checking up on Harry," added Lupin.

"But what about the protection of the blood wards? It's the best we've got, Arabella can't protect him." McGonagall pointed out.

"She won't have to. We're still using them, after all Arabella's house is also within those wards," Sirius replied, he beamed upon McGonagall's realization. "Remus and l had our suspicions since they would leave Harry at her house whenever they go on their little trips or vacations. Harry would still be protected, even if he wasn't staying at their house."

"I've already checked the exact locations of the wards, we were right," Lupin nodded, "Dumbledore won't know since Harry would still stay within the wards."

"Are you two sure about this?" asked McGonagall.

"As serious as my own name," answered Sirius, Lupin nodded, he then looked at his godson, "How about it, Harry?"

"You mean live with Mrs. Figg?" asked Harry incredulously.

"Well? I'm sure living in a house of cats is a whole lot better than with these three." Sirius glanced at the Dursleys then back at his godson.

"Of course!" Harry jumped at the opportunity, "Are you sure it's alright with her? I could help out, with the cooking and gardening."

"We already said it, didn't we? Arabella will be more than happy to have you. Don't worry, you won't trouble her," said Lupin, picking up the letter on floor. "I know you've been waiting a long time to read this letter ever since we told you about Hogwarts."

"He's not the only one," said Sirius, both Lupin and McGonagall knew what he meant.

So Harry did and read the content out loud. "Dear Mr. Potter, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"That settles that." Lupin turned to the Dursleys, "Harry's moving out. You'll never have to deal him under your house ever again."

"And maybe we won't have to deal with you too." Sirius added.

"That's it? We took him as that old crack pot told us to, clothed him, fed him, sent him to school, and we get nothing in return?" asked Vernon. "That old man made us take him into our house, while you were probably too busy rotting in prison or too busy killing people like us?"

"What did you just say?" Sirius shook in anger, rage returned to his widened eyes. "You only gave him clothes that no longer fit that pig of a son of yours! You made him cook the food that you eat, feed him just enough just so he doesn't starve. Just so people won't ask questions. You. Starve. Him. For. Days. As. Punishment."

Vernon was about to interrupt him, but Sirius continued on with his magic radiating into the air.

"You beat him when he out performs your son in any way at school! HOW DARE YOU? AFTER EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE TO MY GODSON? YOU SHOULD BE GRATEFUL YOU'RE WALKING AWAY WITHOUT A SCRATCH."

"Like we've said, we'll take care of him from now on." Lupin pulled Sirius back. "I'm a bit surprised at you, Sirius, I thought you would have at least punched him in the face."

"Oh believe me, you have no idea how much I want to." Sirius's fists shook, his fingernails almost cutting into his palm.

"Mr. Black here was framed, he never killed those Muggles, it was someone else." McGonagall looked at Petunia, "The same person who betrayed your sister and brother-in-law and lead their killer to their home,"

"Voldemort…" Petunia whispered to no one.

Realizing what she had just said, with everyone had heard and looking her, she clapped a hand over her mouth as if she had said a foul word. As much as Petunia hated her sister, she had asked Dumbledore who had killed her sister and remembered the name. Harry lost his mother, she lost a sister that Halloween night.

"F-f-fine! Good riddance, he's all yours. I will not spend a single penny or do anything for the boy ever again. You can go and learn your little magic tricks for all I care," replied Vernon.

"Oh Vernon, what will the neighbors say?" Petunia wondered nervously. "What if he finds out?"

"Who? That old bearded buffoon? I couldn't care less what he'll do. Let them settle it amongst themselves." Vernon's mustache twitched left to right as he thought up ideas, "As for the neighbors, we'll just make something up like we always do whenever anyone asks about the boy."

Sirius, Lupin, and McGonagall looked at one another, despite Arabella being the only contact that Dumbledore has in Little Whinging, they shudder to think if the Dursleys spill everything to Dumbledore.

"If Dumbledore ever does ask, just say he's staying with Arabella for a while, understand? This will be our little secret. No one has to know, not even him," said Lupin.

"As long as he's out of my house and I won't have to deal with all this unnaturalness ever again," replied Vernon, he sneered at Harry. "But if anything ever happens to them, if they get themselves in a mess and get blown up like your parents were, don't expect us to take you back, boy."

A shimmering glass-like shield appeared in front of Dursley, its strength evident from its visibility, cast by McGonagall silently. Sirius did nothing but glared at Vernon with utmost loathing, he never thought he'd hate someone more than he ever hated Snape.

"If I wanted to attack him, I would have already bit and torn his neck apart before you two could have done anything about it," said Sirius, slowly backed away.

He turned into the big black dog in an instant, causing all three Dursleys to scream, he was going to make them truly understand what he just said. He scared the Durleys even further with his vicious barks and snaps of his fangs. Vernon cursed as he fell off his toppled seat in trying to back away, while Petunia and Dudley were left shaking and whimpering after the initial loud screams of terror from the transformation. Sirius changed back just as fast, yet both Lupin and McGonagall didn't even show any of disapproval at his recent acts of intimidation.

"I think you've made your point, Sirius," commented Lupin.

"Enough of that, Sirius," ordered McGonagall.

McGonagall didn't really feel she needed to reprimand Sirius of his outburst. Sirius hadn't done any physical or magical assault, though she could very intervene the very second he would despite what he had said. They all remained silent, minutes passed by, each looking at one another. Just when the Dursleys thought the discussion has ended, McGonagall walked and stopped in front of the Dursleys.

"There's still the fact that Harry has to visit the house from time to time." McGonagall pointed out.

"What?" Harry turned his head to her.

Vernon would have asked too, if he wasn't paralyzed in fear from Sirius' transformation. Sirius forgot about clearing that topic with the Dursleys, now remembered about the fact that the wards had to be recharged. McGonagall had asked Dumbledore about Harry's status once he started going to Hogwarts, once the wizarding world knows the Boy-Who-Lived has returned. Harry would still have to go back to the Dursleys during the summer holidays.

"I knew we were forgetting something," muttered Lupin.

"Harry has to be close to her in order to charge the wards," McGonagall looked at Petunia. "The closer and longer they stay together, the faster the ward charges."

Minerva had done her research on blood wards whenever she had spare time, reading most of the books from the forbidden section of Hogwart's library.

Sirius grimaced in frustration, "How often?"

"Since the wards are already charged, Harry won't have to do anything until he returns from Hogwarts next year," answered Lupin, which calmed Harry a bit.

"As for the exact duration of the charging, I'm not sure. I will have to inspect the blood wards myself." McGonagall frowned.

"I could go there and continue gardening every morning. Water the plants, pull weeds, stuff like that …" Harry suggested, he now had all their attention. "If I have to, then help prepare breakfast and dinner? As long as I get to stay with Mrs. Fig, I don't think I care doing all that."

"You don't have to, Harry." Sirius commented with a grimace.

"But I want to. I mean… If there was anything I liked there, it's the cooking and gardening."

This somehow had piqued Lupin, McGonagall and Petunia's interest, again with Harry's offer of cooking and gardening again. Meanwhile Vernon, Sirius, and Dudley were left baffled, wondering what Harry was talking about.

"The few times I felt happy, even though I hated it at first, was cooking and gardening. All the work I put into, even if I had to, I got to enjoy it in the end. Aunt Petunia taught me how to cook and do the gardening. She turns on the telly in the kitchen and doesn't stop me from watching those cooking shows. Whenever I did watch, all those chefs always looked happy, excited, and some time later I felt a bit of that too… tasting and eating what I cooked, even if I got to eat a little of it… It's same for the garden too, all that work I…" Harry trailed off, definitely felt uneasy at the looks they were giving him.

He was sure Uncle Vernon thought that he was mad or something, Petunia on the other hand somehow felt guilt and shame. McGonagall seemed like she was about to cry judging by her puffy eyes, though she managed to control herself by simply pursing her lips tight for a second. Sirius took a deep breath, looked up the ceiling as he closed his eyes, and sighed.

"You may look like James on the outside, but you definitely have your mother's heart, Harry," commented Lupin, lightly patting Harry's shoulder.

"That he does, Remus," agreed McGonagall.

"They don't deserve your help," said Sirius.

"I'm sure we'll work something out," replied Lupin.

"Let's go. I don't know how long I can stay here without cursing them," said Sirius.

"I'll carry your bag, Harry," Lupin made his way to the bag by the sofa, easily recognizable given the poor state it was and Harry's smell from it.

Harry slowly followed after McGonagall, Lupin and Sirius right behind them. The witch waved her wand as she stood by the door frame, causing all the debris and splinters of wood to gather and formed into the front door. The door attached itself back in place though still opened for the three of them to pass. Sirius spared one last look of disgust at the Dursleys and left, and slammed the door shut behind him.

"To think someone like her is related to Lilly and the Evans," muttered Sirius.

"Who are you to say that? Oh Mr. Sirius of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black," smiled Lupin.

"Don't remind me," said Sirius.

When McGonagall told Harry to hold her hand, he knew they were going to Apparate.

"Where are we going?" wondered Harry.

"Arabella's, we need to tell her about this little turn of events and your change of accommodation. Treat your back while we're at it," Sirius frowned at the last bit.

"After that?"

"We go and celebrate your birthday," Lupin smiled, so did Sirius and McGonagall.

"You told me that cousin of yours went to some zoo in Surrey for his birthday," said Sirius.

"Yeah, are we going there too?" asked Harry, all excited.

"No," Sirius smiled even wider, "We're taking you to the London Zoo."

Sirius, Lupin, and McGonagall had a long discussion about the trip to the zoo several days ago. A lot of persuasions had to be done. Both Sirius and Lupin had to persuade McGonagall into postponing the trip to Diagon Alley. Lupin had to be persuaded into joining McGonagall and Harry for that trip, convincing him that Harry would have wanted him to be there regardless of his werewolf status. In turn, much to McGonagall's initial disapproval, Lupin persuaded Sirius to join them in their trip to the zoo. Muggles and wizards wouldn't recognize Sirius once they've cast a glamour on him.

It was after the eventful day at the zoo, after dinner at Mrs. Figg's house, that they told Harry of the bad news.

Sirius had to leave, all of them begrudgingly agreed it was the only way, before Harry goes to Hogwarts. He would have to purposely reveal himself every now and then. If not, Fudge would continue on with the plan he had discussed with Dumbledore and the twelve Governors of Hogwarts School. The plan of having Dementors stationed around Hogwarts, as a precaution against Sirius. It had to be done because the Aurors had to know that he was far away, away from the British Isles. To convince the wizarding world that he wasn't after Harry, the belief that had everyone worried since the day he escaped Azkaban two years ago.

* * *

++Sneak peek++

"Oh my… I can't believe I've almost forgot about this particular wand." Ollivander opened the box, and actually used a levitating charm on the wand to remove and inspect it up close. "Everything similar with the wand you just tried, holly and eleven inches, aside from the cores of course. The core of the previous wand was phoenix tail feather, while this wand's core is…" He trailed off upon running the tip of his forefinger across the wand's smooth surface. "Ah, yes… Ferocious as ever."

"Ferocious?" Harry echoed.

McGonagall and Lupin seemed perturbed just the same.

* * *

**Rate and review? **

**That way I know what questions that needs answering in the story or how I'm doing. I know I'm sticking too much with the books from the looks so far, and the progress is kinda slow. But it's not like the Philosopher Stone, Chamber of Secrets, etc. smacked the reader right in the beginning... At least next chapter is the first look on Harry and the whole mystery. I'm kind of mixing the books and the movies, though I do lean more on the books. Thank you for the few encouraging reviews.**


	3. Ferocity and friends

**Standard disclaimer applies. ****The stories on this site are based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books, Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No copyright or trademark infringement is intended. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. Seriously. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.**

**A huge thank you to my beta reader, PhoenixFanatic999, for making this story bearable for mortal eyes. Despite my best efforts, the simplest of grammatical mistakes that he pointed out still managed to elude me. Also, thank you to pawsrule, Specky Clarke, and Justin. **

Harry was carrying a bird cage, his recently purchased pet owl perched inside, as he followed Lupin, McGonagall, and Mrs. Figg. Lupin was pulling Harry's new magical trunk that contained everything the Potter needed for his first year at Hogwarts. While Harry had already owned and read half of the books on the list, he did buy several more books from Flourish and Bott's. It was better to drag a single magical trunk rather than to have all of them carrying bags containing books, robes, and potion ingredients all around Diagon Alley. Harry definitely wasn't going to put his pet owl in that trunk, be it magical or not.

They had spent quite an eventful day at Diagon Alley the moment Lupin and McGonagall brought them with Side Apparation. Mrs. Figg had her looks transfigured by McGonagall for the day, everything from her clothes to her grizzled gray hair. She was still getting used to her recent name too. It took her longer getting used to the name 'Mrs. Bean', which Harry, Lupin, and McGonagall would be calling her whenever she's with him in public. Just as Harry alternated between calling his godfather 'Snuffles' or 'Sirius', he'd be alternating between 'Aunt Minnie' and 'Professor' for McGonagall. Lupin assured him that Harry won't have any problem, with McGonagall's change of demeanor at Hogwarts.

All that was left to get from the list was a wand, and Harry was very much excited thinking he'd finally get one.

After an eye opening visit at Gringott's, the four of them had spent a much longer time in Madam Malkin's than they thought they would. McGonagall and Mrs. Figg watched Lupin fought a losing battle against Harry. Harry argued that his trust vault had more than enough money to buy everything on the list. That and the fact that the vault would always have a thousand Galleons added into it with each coming new year untill Harry reached the age of majority. Harry was overwhelmed as he laid eyes on the piles of Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts even if they were his. The first thing he thought of was to share some with his family. Remus had always been seen wearing shabby clothes, Sirius could use a change of clothes but he was already on the run till Christmas. Harry himself wore clothes that were two sizes too big for him. He insisted buying some robes for Lupin, saying it was a gift.

Harry did worry about the idea of getting a pet owl in a house of three kneazles, three cats, and three hybrids. Mrs. Figg assured that there would be no trouble at all. She did manage to train them to use the loo, a reason why the toilet doors along with all the other doors in her house had flaps for her cats to come and go as they pleased. Along with the fact that the kneazles like Tufty could keep the cats behaved. Harry never did tell anyone he felt a sense of déjà vu upon meeting the snowy owl perched on a bird stand, and felt it again when for some reason he asked the snowy owl whether it wanted to become his friend or not.

"Where are we going?" asked Harry.

"To Ollivander's," answered McGonagall.

"There's no better place to get a wand than Ollivander's," added Lupin. "Just remember, Harry, when you do get your wand, we don't want you to do anything but practice the simplest of spells with it."

The werewolf wasn't all too surprised upon hearing Sirius' advice to Harry just before the Marauder left. It was that Harry didn't have worry about the ban of underage magic yet. It would be counted as accidental magic, since Harry still hadn't attended Hogwarts or taught how to control his magic. As long as he did it all alone with no Muggle around, preferably at Sirius' den, then he'd have no problem.

"I promise," said Harry, he turned to McGonagall. "May be some time later I can show you those simple magic spells when you visit, Aunt Minnie."

"As long as you stick to the simplest spells, I'll be looking forward to it," replied McGonagall.

Harry never thought he'd look so forward to the idea of transfiguring a match stick into a needle.

He followed McGonagall and Lupin into an old looking shop, Mrs. Figg told them she'd be waiting outside with the bird cage in hand. The bell above the door frame chimed and alerted the wand maker who was on a sliding ladder. Garrick Ollivander turned and looked down onto Harry just as the young wizard took a good look around the shop. He had never seen so many boxes before, hundreds of narrow boxes stored in shelves. Aunt Petunia's boxes of shoes and Dudley's pile of birthday presents paled in comparison. The wild white hair on Ollivander's head reminded Harry of the famous Albert Einstein, but it was the silvery eyes that astonished Harry more.

"Ah, Mr. Harry Potter, I've been wondering when you would be coming." Ollivander smiled as he descended down the sliding ladder. "Minerva, Mr. Remus Lupin, it's been a while."

"Garrick," McGonagall smiled.

"Mr. Ollivander," Lupin nodded a bit.

"Mr. Potter's escorts I presume?" Ollivander smirked.

"Not at first," said Lupin, "it was just Minerva and Harry. I just so happened to meet them and Minerva invited me to come along so Harry can get to know one of his parents' closest friends."

Naturally a Hogwarts staff would accompany an orphan that had no relatives. However, such instances were rare, orphans at least were accompanied by family members or guardian. Only Muggle born wizards and witches from orphanages were usually accompanied by Hogwarts staff. Ollivander remembered that the only orphan who wasn't accompanied by an adult was Tom Riddle. The young lad had been just as independent as he was secretive.

"Your wand. Ash, thirteen inches, unicorn hair, quite sturdy." Ollivander remarked.

"Like you said," Lupin smiled mildly, bringing out the said wand that he purchased from the wand maker.

Ollivander didn't mention McGonagall's wand, though both Lupin and McGonagall knew Ollivander was very well aware of the wand she used. Just as he remembered every wand he ever created and sold, he remembered every wand recorded in his family's records. His father, Gervaise Ollivander, had sold the wand to the witch. Fir, nine and a half inches, dragon heart string. Harry slowly walked up to counter, in which Ollivander leaned closer to take a closer look at his customer with his silvery eyes.

"So much like your father, but definitely your mother's eyes." Ollivander opened a book on the counter and wrote down Harry's name. "Your father's wand was eleven inch mahogany, dragon heart string, pliable, powerful and had an affinity for Transfiguration. While your mother's was vine, ten and a quarter inch, unicorn hair, swishy and quite excellent for Charms."

Upon learning a little bit more about his parents' wands, a measuring tape floated and began taking Harry's measurements. It measured the length of his arms, legs, from head to toe, even his waist.

"Oh don't worry, that is just for fun. A young wizard's body measurements have nothing to do with wandlore." chuckled Ollivander, Lupin raised an eyebrow in reaction since the wand maker never told him that. "A wand is very much like the wizard that wields it, Mr. Potter. No person, be it Muggle or wizard, is exactly the same as the other, be it on the outside or in the inside. The same could be said about the materials that are used in making the wands that will choose the wizard. The wood, length, and creature that supply the core of a wand are all different from one another, in comparison to the ever changing body, heart, soul and core of a wizard. Of course, a wand is more than just a mere stick of wood with magical core."

Harry didn't know what to say to that, nor did McGonagall or Lupin.

"Now then, shall we begin finding the wand that will choose you?" Ollivander smiled.

"Uh, okay," Harry agreed.

"Give me your wand arm," instructed Ollivander.

"He means your dominant hand," clarified Lupin.

Harry held out as told, Ollivander pushed Harry's sleeve past his elbow. If any Muggle had seen the two of them, they would think the old man was doing a palm reading as he studied Harry's palm meticulously, closing his eyes at times.

"You have very rough palms for someone your age, Mr. Potter. Clearly more than most kids who enjoy the outdoors," remarked Ollivander.

"Is that bad?" asked Harry.

"No, no, just saying," replied Ollivander.

Ollivander then proceeded to check Harry's finger tips, then his wrist, as if checking his pulse, the whole arm, for once he looked serious as he did so. Without saying a word, the wand maker left the counter, and selected a few boxes as he fleeted all around the large storage. He came back with a lot of them, securely tucked under his arm pits and in his arms.

"You are trickiest customer I have yet this year." Ollivander opened one box, and presented Harry a wand. "No worries, I enjoy a good challenge. I still haven't quite narrowed down the wands that would choose you. Here, vine and unicorn hair, eleven inches."

Harry took hold of the offered wand only to have Ollivander shake his head and take it back.

"Reed and phoenix feather, nine inches," Ollivander stated, giving another wand.

Again his head shook as Harry held it, and took back the wand without saying a word. The process was repeated again and again, Lupin and McGonagall said nothing so Harry wasn't too worried despite the increasing numbers of wands. Ollivander actually looked more excited and that left Harry wondering what exactly was supposed to happen when the right wand is finally found.

It was after Ollivander's third trip of bringing selected boxes that something else happened. Ollivander remained silent for a while and didn't take the wand from Harry's hand.

"Well?" asked Ollivander.

Harry didn't know what the old man meant, what to do with the wand in hand.

"Give it a flick, swish, a wave, anything." Ollivander instructed.

From Lupin's reaction, Harry knew that the werewolf didn't go through the same thing he was. McGonagall probably did, either that or she didn't show it. So Harry did as told, only to have all four of them startled as the book on the counter bounced up into the air and burst into bits of paper and fall down pretty much like confetti.

"No, apparently not," commented Ollivander, watching the bits of paper fall.

With a flick of McGonagall's own wand, all the bits of papers and leather that was the book's cover gathered together and repaired itself. Apparently Harry was going to start waving wands around and see what will happen.

"Sorry about that," apologized Harry.

"It's nothing to be sorry for, Mr. Potter. I don't usually ask my customers to test out the compatibility of the wand. I've seen a few things happen when a customer does so, though I say that did amaze me a bit." Ollivander explained.

Harry felt happier upon being told he just displayed impressive magic.

"Now then, try this one," said Ollivander.

"Are you sure?" asked Harry warily when the new wand in hand.

"Yes, yes, let me assure you, whatever happens, it's nothing we can't handle." stated Ollivander. "I'm sure Minerva and Mr. Lupin here are more than capable to handle anything for us."

Lupin definitely didn't see that one coming, he quickly readied his wand. Given another, Harry gave a random wave, this time they were startled by a geyser of ink from the ink bottle on the counter. It was like a scene from an oil rig; however Harry, Lupin, McGonagall and Ollivander were hardly thrilled being covered in the mess like workers of an oil platform.

"Oh my…" Ollivander blinked, when the geyser finally died down, the four of them were covered in ink. "No. Definitely not."

"Harry…" murmured Lupin in surprise.

"I'm sorry! I so sorry! I so, so sorry!" Harry apologized after he quickly put the wand on the counter.

"Like Garrick said, there's nothing to be sorry for, Harry," said McGonagall, trying to calm Harry down.

Ollivander had seen a few mishaps over the decades when he had to resort to customers trying out wands suitable to them. A geyser of ink was definitely a first, over a noticeable time too, it was a display of powerful magic indeed. With a swish of wands, Scouring charms cleaned every drop of the ink within the shop.

"Not a single drop of ink," assured Lupin. "There's nothing to be sorry or worried about. We're right here, aren't we?"

"Nothing I can't handle, and mind you I have seen worse, much worse," said McGonagall, since she had seen the results of James, Sirius, and the Weasley twins' pranks.

The worst of the failed attempts at finding the right wand resulted with a sliding ladder bursting into flames, colorful blinding flashes of lights, a flood of bubbles, and a fierce gale from blew from the wand's tip which caused Harry to quickly drop the wand. Other times Ollivander just knew the wand was incompatible and simply changed the wand, where a few of those times Harry himself felt uncomfortable holding them.

"Exactly when do I know we have the right wand?" Harry wondered.

"You will know when you hold it, as all wielders usually do, Mr. Potter. Mostly the warm feeling when the proper wand is held, at times it may even give out sparks from its tip instead." replied Ollivander.

"Mine gave out silvery sparks," commented Lupin.

"I felt the warm feeling with mine," said McGonagall, when Lupin and Harry looked at her.

"I've seen a lot of things happen when a customer tries out my wands. Though I must that was the first time anything like that ever happened." Ollivander stored the wand away and gave Harry another. "That apparently isn't the wand for you. Now then, try… this one, Mr. Potter,"

"Are you sure?" Harry was wary of giving another go.

"Yes. Yes. If this isn't the one, then we'll just keep trying until we get the right wand, won't we?" answered Ollivander.

Again, none of the wands that were brought proved incompatible. Harry saw Ollivander muttering something to himself as he climbed up the sliding ladder and removed a box. He noticed that the wand maker seemed eager as he was handed the particular wand, perhaps thinking they were finally about to find the wand they've been searching for. It was holly, eleven inches, and contained the tail feather of a phoenix tail feather.

"Well?"

However Harry didn't feel anything so he simply proceeded to give it a wave, causing several boxes to shoot out behind Ollivander. One of the boxes came straight towards Harry, and surprisingly he caught the box out of reflex despite the wand in hand.

"Nice catch, Harry," complimented an astounded Lupin, all those boxes shot out so fast, the werewolf didn't manage to do anything.

McGonagall was already wondering if Harry would be playing Quidditch once he learned how to ride a broom. Hopefully the Potter would follow in his parents' footsteps and be sorted into Gryffindor.

Harry didn't seem to have heard either of them, his attention focused at the narrow black box in his hands. Regardless of the fact of some of the dust were gone when the box shot out, it was much dustier compared to all the boxes on the counter. That didn't escape Ollivander's eye, his client seemed to be immensely drawn to the box, more specifically the wand within that box.

"Mr. Potter?" Ollivander's voice broke Harry out of his stupor.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Your box and… your wand," again Harry apologized, realizing he placed the box but still held onto the wand.

"You apologize quite a lot, Mr. Potter," Ollivander mused with a smile, Harry quickly placed the phoenix feather wand on the counter.

The smile disappeared as Ollivander laid his eyes on the black box, as if just realizing the box's existence despite having observed Harry holding onto it the whole time.

"Oh my… I can't believe I've almost forgot about this particular wand." Ollivander opened the box, and actually used a levitating charm on the wand to inspect it close. "Everything similar with the wand you just tried, holly and eleven inches, aside from the cores of course." He ran the tip of his finger across the smooth surface. "Ah, yes… Ferocious as ever."

"Ferocious?" Harry echoed.

McGonagall and Lupin seemed perturbed just the same.

"Now then, the moment of truth," smiled Ollivander, the most ecstatic they had ever seen, ignoring their wariness of the wand. "Come, come, I'm sure this wand here is your wand."

Harry took hold of the wand before Lupin and McGonagall had anything to say or do about it. He faintly felt the wand quiver in his grasp, before the warm feeling coursed through his hand and spread within his chest. Wisps of gold, silver, and green floated from the tip after Harry felt something course from his chest back to the wand.

"Whoa." Harry stared at the wand.

His own actual wand.

"It seems the wand has finally found its master," said Ollivander, his smile widened even further. "Incredible. Simply incredible."

"Garrick?" called out McGonagall.

"Dragon's heartstring, the hair of a unicorn's tail, and tail feather of a phoenix. Those are the magical materials that I used for my wands. All except that wand in your hand, Mr. Potter," explained Ollivander.

He was definitely keeping them in suspense, wondering just what exactly had Ollivander used.

"The wand contains the hair of a chimera's mane," said Ollivander.

"Chimera?" repeated Lupin.

Harry had read about the animal in 'Magical Beast and Where to find them', and definitely remember what said creature was. It was a rare creature known for its ferocity, in fact the first thing that came to Harry's mind when he heard Ollivander said the word 'ferocious'. He remembered the only moving picture of the chimera in the book, while others were simply illustrations of it. It possessed the head of a lion, body and legs of a goat, and the long tail of a dragon. The revised edition actually included the picture of the only chimera ever killed by a wizard.

"Yes," confirmed Ollivander happily, as if he was channeling Hagrid.

"How did you ever manage to obtain a chimera's?" McGonagall gazed the wand.

"What I want to know is why chimera hair in the first place," said Lupin, all this time Ollivander had been known for using those three materials.

"A very dear and close friend of mine knew Glaucus, the grandson of Bellerphon. The family gave several strands of the Chimera's mane as cores for wand making. This is the one and only wand I crafted in my ambition to experiment different materials as cores for my wands. I was very ambitious at the time my friend had given me a strand, perhaps ambitious enough to have put me in Slytherin instead of Ravenclaw," answered Ollivander, "Including this one, only three wands containing chimera hair were ever successfully crafted. One was presented to Glaucus for his family to keep, while the other is still probably collecting dust in another wand shop. None of them ever chose the wizard or witch, except this one here."

"Do you think this is wise?" McGonagall looked between the wand and the wand maker. "It sounds to me like it's nothing more but an experimental wand."

"To each, his own, Minerva," replied Ollivander, "I always thought I had failed with this wand, having created a wand that would never find its master. Even though I've never used Veela hair to make wands, being rather temperamental wands, there are wielders of such wands."

"Are you sure it's safe?" asked Lupin.

"For Mr. Potter? Absolutely, nothing to be worried about," Ollivander leaned over the counter and looked at Harry, "But do contact me if you have anything to ask about the wand. Because of their ferocity, they were also the only wands ever known to ever lash out against unfit wizards and witches. While I was quick to notice the incompatibility when I took it from Miss Johnson's hand, I was very much surprised seven years later when Mr. Frost ended up getting a Stinging Hex upon holding it."

Lupin and McGonagall weren't convinced, staring at Harry and his wand with worry.

"Perhaps a display of magic is in order?" asked Ollivander.

Harry gave a brief flick of wand, causing globules of ink to float from the nearby ink bottle. All the floating drops of ink swarmed around like bees before converging together forming a perfect sphere. Just when Harry thought he was performing excellently, his amazement overcame his control and caused the sphere of ink to lose shape and plop back into the ink bottle. McGonagall cleaned the mess of ink on and around the bottle with a brief flick.

"Splendid. I never thought I'd see it perform splendidly. Despite my own controlled magic and being its own maker, I never did see the wand channel magic to such extent," Ollivander smiled, "Now that it does, it's all up to you in controlling your magic that would course through it. A wand is but a piece, bear in mind an optional one, of what makes a great wizard or witch."

Just when Harry, McGonagall, and Lupin thought they were done and were about to leave, Ollivander called out to Harry. He seemed to have been in deep conflict, but finally managed to speak out and call Harry's name.

"You have nothing to worry just because it is chimera's hair, Mr. Potter," stated Ollivander, "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did terrible things, great but terrible things. Yet his wand contained phoenix tail feather. Immortal creatures whose song can empower those of good hearted and strike fear into the hearts of evil."

After Harry, Lupin, and McGonagall had left, Ollivander proceeded to clean up after the remaining boxes and wands. He quickly went to his office to write letters about the recently purchased wand. The brother wand of Tom Riddle's wand had not chosen Harry Potter, thus his friend Dumbledore was not one of the recipients of the copies of letters.

"A magical core unlike any other," murmured Ollivander as he wrote down the letter, "Curious. Very curious indeed,"

The fellow wand makers of wands containing chimera hair were to be informed of the recent acceptance, though never mentioning who exactly was the recipient. He should have known and attributed the fact of Harry's magical core. It was more erratic than Miss Nymphadora Tonk's core, at the same time dynamic like Remus Lupin's. Ollivander also contemplated the reaction of a particular wand maker in mind as he wrote his letter. He may not agree with many of Gregorovitch's conclusions about wands, but he did concur about hawthorn and its intriguing nature.

Unknown to the wand maker, a small black salamander crawled from the ink bottle on the counter. It left trail of ink all over, only to evaporate into nothingness upon falling off the edge of the counter.

o.o.o.O.O.O.o.o.o

The month of August was a time well spent for Harry, Mrs. Figg, Lupin, and McGonagall, ever since the day Harry moved out of the Dursleys. Lupin, having a hard time finding a job let alone keep one, would drop by Little Whinging from time to time, more frequent than McGonagall. Harry and Mrs. Figg would always make sure the werewolf stay for dinner whenever he came by. The three adults noticed that except the time Harry goes to the bathroom, it was almost rare to see him without Hedwig or one of Mrs. Figg's pets by his side. In fact, they'd know he's in the bathroom in the first place because one of the pet animals would be waiting patiently outside the bathroom door. It had been odd enough the first time Mrs. Figg came across Hedwig, all alone in front of the bathroom, as if the bird was waiting to use the loo.

Harry had written and received two letters from his godfather since their contact was limited, Hedwig was all too happy to send the letters for her familiar as she was tasked to. A certain magical ring that was purchased from Eeylops had solved all the problems for Harry and Sirius. If Hedwig wasn't off sending, Harry would be seen wearing the ring on his forefinger. Mrs. Figg enjoyed Harry's company, someone who she can actually have a conversation with inside the house, his culinary skills was a bonus.

While Harry voluntarily helped around by helping with Mrs. Figg cook their meals and cleaned around the house, it wasn't something he hated and nothing like the time with the Dursleys. He finally managed to do things without the slightest worry, watching television with Mrs. Figg, hear her talk about the wizarding world, and read his books late into the night. Time flew by and he realized he was at King's Cross. He had arrived quite early since Mrs. Figg reasoned it was best if they left to avoid the traffic, even if they did travel by subway.

"Look, Hedwig," said Harry, mesmerized as he set his eyes on the steam spewing red and black train that was the Hogwarts Express.

Harry knew he wasn't late, but he could already see the few carriages up front slowly being filled by some students and their families. It had to be fairly easy for them, already having friends and sharing compartments. He watched families talk with their children by the window panes, saying their goodbyes. Harry wondered if he'd start making friends in these train compartments just like Sirius and his father did.

"Ouch." Harry turned, a trolley had hit him.

"Ooops. Sorry about that." A dark skinned boy sheepishly apologized, "didn't see where I was going."

"No, it's my fault too. I got distracted and just stood here," said Harry.

The two boys noticed that other didn't come along with family in tow.

"Your parents couldn't pass the barrier?" asked the dark skinned boy tentatively. "Mine couldn't too. We said our goodbyes just before I walked pass that wall."

Harry could sense that the boy felt out of place, perhaps far more than he was, apprehensive and alone. He was taller than Harry was. The young Potter also noticed this person was wearing a digital watch, noting he was definitely Muggle born or at least a half blood like he was.

"I don't have parents, they passed away when I was a baby…" answered Harry.

"Oh, sorry about that." The boy felt embarrassed.

"It's okay. My aunt came with me, she couldn't walk pass the barrier too," said Harry, "I just got my letter a month ago."

"First time too? I got mine in May. A witch came and told me and my family everything. How did your aunt react?" replied the boy, he chuckled a bit. "My dad thought it was some sort of elaborate prank before the witch showed us some magic."

Harry and the boy began to talk as they pushed their trolleys, deciding that being first years they'd better off at the last compartments. Given Lupin's explanation, two compartments were reserved for prefects.

"Wow. You actually got yourself an owl," complimented Dean, having noticed Hedwig.

"Yeah, I got her as my birthday present," said Harry.

"Well I've got to say you got yourself one amazing birthday present." replied Dean, "By the way, I'm Dean. Dean Thomas."

"Harry Potter," said Harry.

Hedgwig hooted, Harry smiled, "And this is Hedwig."

"Hello, Hedwig." Dean acknowledged the owl, "You don't mind if I sit with you, would you?"

"Not at all," replied Harry.

Both Harry and Dean stopped, a bushy brown haired girl seemed to struggle lifting her trunk after heaving it toward the train door. Naturally Harry offered his help, Dean in tow. It was then Harry noticed just how heavy the trunks everyone had been carrying all around using their trolleys. Apparently not everyone would have magical trunks. Hermione felt embarrassed having others help her with her trunk, she knew she packed too many books.

"Thank you," Hermione expressed her gratitude.

"You're welcome," replied Harry. "It's not like we'd just stand by and watch."

"Anyways, thanks again." Hermione gingerly pulled her trunk and walked away.

"I don't know about yours, about her trunk was way heavier than mine," stated Dean, once he saw Hermione disappear into one of the compartments.

"Probably." Harry then brought in Hedwig's cage and his trunk.

"Do you think she's just like us too? First year and parents who aren't magical?" wondered Dean.

"I think so," said Harry.

It would still a while before the train would leave, Harry had gotten to learn more about Dean and his family. His mother had married after his father left them when he was still just a baby, his mother remarried thus he had a stepsister and also three half sisters. Harry excused himself, having the need to use the loo. On his way back, he noticed the bushy haired girl sitting all by herself, staring out the window, with a book opened but forgotten. Harry knew loneliness when he saw one. He inhaled a bit, braved himself to the idea of talking to a girl. The last he had ever talked to the new girl was in grade two, before Dudley scared her off and told the usual story that he was a freak just like he told everyone else. If he was going to have himself sorted into Gryffindor like his parents, Sirius, Remus, and McGonagall, he definitely knew he had prove himself.

Hermione finally noticed Harry standing outside.

"Um…" Harry suddenly felt his palms sweat, "do you want to join us? My friend and I… I mean, I saw you sitting you here all alone and thought you might want some company… Uh, make some friends?"

It was definitely not like the way Sirius met James who later formed the Marauders. Much to Harry's annoyance, Sirius would be laugh himself silly and tease his godson about the particular moment for years. The awkward silence that followed suit between Harry and Hermione only made the story funnier for Sirius.

"That is… If you want…" said Harry.

"I'd love to." Hermione couldn't believe someone just her to join them.

Harry could only beam at Hermione's reaction and once again helped her with her trunk. Three of them talked, learning more and more of one another. Harry was surprised that despite Hermione being a Muggle born, she pretty much reacted much like everyone else when she found out Harry's name. In turn, some explanations had to be given to Dean. At least Harry didn't feel comfortable when Dean looked at his scar and gave a long whistle. After a purchase of various sweets and candies, Harry surprised them both when he took a Chocolate Frog and transfigured it into a real salamander.

"Gryffindor? As long as I get to stay with you guys, I don't care what house I get sorted into," said Dean, after hearing Harry's intent to be sorted into the said house.

He turned a Chocolate Frog Card, "Blimey, Merlin is real?"

'_Medieval, dates unknown. Most famous wizard of all time. Sometimes known as the Prince of Enchanters. Part of the Court of King Arthur._'

"He is. I've read about him in Hogwart's History, he was the first few to enter Hogwarts when it was established. He was sorted into Slytherin. They call him the Prince of Enchanters because he was very skilled in Charms." Hermione then went into a mini lecture, "He founded the 'Order of Merlin'. It was an organization that promoted Muggle rights. But the 'Order of Merlin' was later changed after his death. Instead of an organization, it's now like getting an Order of the British Empire or the Victoria Cross in the wizarding world."

Dean stared speechlessly, eyebrows raised while Harry simply blinked.

"Sorry, I guess I got carried away." Hermione blushed, "it's just that I like to read books."

"I like to read books too," commented Harry, "It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Same here." Dean frowned a bit, "Well, comic books really. It's the reason I like drawing, I even dreamed of becoming comic book character once. My mum wasn't too happy about that, my dad just laughed and told her it was just a phase."

"It's just that I often get carried to cover my nervousness. I guess it's a habit I do now."

"I know what you mean," Harry smiled, "I apologize a lot even though everyone around me say I don't have to."

"What the? Hey, he's gone." Dean noticed the Chocolate Card was empty.

"They're magical pictures, so they move. Hogwarts has hundreds of portraits hung around the grand stair case, and they all move . Moving from frame to frame."

"Huh. Can't wait to see how I can make my drawings move," thought Dean.

Harry had been staring at the Chocolate Frog Card of Albus Dumbledore. Though he seemed impassive on the outside, deep down he did not think that the old wizard was a great wizard of modern times like it was written in the card. A great wizard, who made great achievements, had also made great mistakes.

Mistakes despite Dumbledore wasn't completely at fault, he was at fault none the less. Dumbledore did not pay for the price of his mistake, Harry did.

"Hey Harry, who do you have there?" asked Dean.

"Just some wizard," Harry tossed the card into Dean's pile, "You can have him."

Hermione started telling Dean everything she knew about their soon to be headmaster. For once, Harry wasn't all that interested what Hermione had to say.

To the wizarding world, Dumbledore was great, but to Sirius, Remus, McGonagall, and Mrs. Figg, he just wasn't that great. Not anymore.

Harry looked at another card, one that he prefers more than Dumbledore. _Falco Aesolon, the first recorded Animagus, a wizard in Ancient Greece who could transform into a falcon at will. _

Halfway along the journey towards Hogwarts, Dean watched Hermione performed the simplest of spells along with Harry. Just when Dean thought he was behind everyone, even those Muggle raised, they showed him how to perform those spells. Given the simplicity of the spells along Hermione's explanation, Dean was able to perform the Mending Charm after a few tries. Dean Thomas knew he had found himself a couple of brilliant friends.

Unknown to Harry, he had just met the otter and the hedgehog that always stood in front of Snuffles. They were certainly no 'Golden Trio' once the final member of the group joined in and became close friends. The red fox in Harry's dream wasn't far away. It was after the end of the school year that Dean joked whether they should call themselves 'The Fantastic Four'.

The fourth member however suggested calling the group, 'The Four Leafed Clover'.

**Rate and Review. Thank you for the reviews. **

**I am really looking forward to the response.**


	4. Head animal in his head

**The stories on this site are based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books, Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No copyright or trademark infringement is intended. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. Seriously. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.**

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**A huge thank you to my beta reader, PhoenixFanatic999, for making this story bearable for mortal eyes. Despite my best efforts, the simplest of grammatical and spelling mistakes that he pointed out still managed to elude me.**

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It had been quite the journey from King Cross Station to Hogsmeade Station, an experience Harry greatly enjoyed over all. He never travelled by train before, and instead of the Dursleys he was seated with his friends. That itself made a whole lot of difference to him. He talked with them, occasionally watched the scenery from his seat by the window. Hermione would simply sit quiet and read her book, while Dean would go through the assortment of Famous Wizards and Witches cards. Later on, they helped a boy named Neville Longbottom in search of his lost pet toad, Trevor. It was right after they changed into their robes, Harry and Dean waited outside while Hermione changed. Just when they were about to let Hermione in after they themselves were finished, a tearful round faced boy approached them and nervously asked whether they had seen a lost toad.

Dean thought that perhaps it was natural for Harry to simply help people, but then again even he would have helped the tearful pudgy boy. Hermione however was the one who offered their help.

"What's your name?" asked Hermione, thinking if she was going to ask around for the boy's lost toad, might as well know his name.

"Neville… Neville Longbottom," Neville sniffed, rubbing away a tear.

"Well Neville, I'm Hermione Granger. Don't worry because we're going to help you find your toad," assured Hermione, she then turned to her friends. "Neville and I will go and check the compartments, you and Dean can check along the corridor. It'll be better if you two split up to cover more ground in less time."

Harry and Dean looked at another, having just heard Hermione volunteering and including them into her plan, a sound plan.

"I guess," Dean shrugged, suddenly feeling like having his big sister telling him to do his chores around the house.

"May be you should find and ask a prefect first," suggested Harry, "One of them might have seen it during their patrols."

"Ooh! Good idea! I can't believe I didn't think of that," replied Hermione.

"One of my parents' friends was a prefect when he went to Hogwarts," said Harry upon Dean's questioning look, remembering Remus' stories of Hogwarts. "He told me they patrol the carriages from time to time, after they finish their meeting in a carriage especially reserved for them."

During their search, Harry walked without really looking for the toad, yet somehow knowing where exactly the toad. As if it was as simple as him knowing the directions to Sirius' den from Mrs. Figg's house. It wasn't long before he and Dean saw several boys standing in the corridor. Dean wondered if they should ask if they had seen Neville's toad as they walked nearer and nearer towards them. He was still keeping an eye out on the corridor. There were four of them to be exact, one sandy colored haired, a pale boy with slick platinum blond hair, and two stocky looking boys by the pale boy's side.

"I told you! It's not mine," said the sandy haired boy.

"Sure it's not. Nobody would ever admit they have a pet toad if anyone ever saw them with one," sneered the pale boy, causing the two stocky boys to snicker.

"I just found it up on my way from the loo, honest," explained the sandy haired boy. "I picked it up right when you three came out."

"Who would want to admit they have a pet toad? Everyone denies it, and even if it's true, it's sad to know that you're someone who would bother with a toad. Even if one couldn't afford to get an owl, not that I'm one of them, nobody would ever want to get a toad as a pet," the pale boy replied. "Unless… you didn't know that. Your parents aren't those lot, are they? Muggles? If you're a half-blood, I'm sure one of your parents would have told you nobody these days would ever want a toad."

Again the boys on his left and right snickered.

"Did you say you found a toad?" asked Harry.

"Yeah! I did! See? I told you it's not mine," retorted the sandy haired boy. "So it's yours?"

"No, someone named Neville has been asking around for it." said Dean, still trying to catch up towards them, before Harry could say anything, "Thanks, anyway."

"See what I mean? Nobody wants to admit it. So tell me, is it yours?" the pale boy laughed as he looked at Harry, "Or..."

He stopped whatever he was going to say when he turned to Dean, noticing his height, much taller than Crabbe or Goyle.

"Let's say the toad is mine, what's it to you?" Dean approached the shorter boy.

The pale boy said nothing, scowling as he thought about Crabbe and Goyle going against Dean.

"What's so bad about toads anyway?" Dean asked Harry.

"Don't know."

"What so bad about toads?" the pale boy sneered, "You two don't know?"

The pale boy would have explained while ridiculing them, a pet so outdated that it was already losing popularity during his parents' last years at Hogwarts. However, he stopped at the moment Dean's digital watch beep as it was now two o'clock, it always beeped every hour. The pale boy took notice of the sound, looking to where he heard it from with a slight confused expression.

"You never seen a digital watch or hear it beep before?" asked Dean, showing it to them.

The pale, along with Crabbe and Goyle, looked at the watch and then at Dean with disgust. He presumed Harry was one too, a Muggle born, if not a half-blood then a pureblood Muggle sympathizer.

"Come on, Crabbe. Goyle. I think we've stayed here long enough." The pale boy huffed and turned around.

"And where do you think you're going? Run after realizing just how wrong you were?" asked the sandy haired boy.

"I, unlike you, have better things to do. Rumor has it Harry Potter is on this train. I'm going to find him and befriend him. Hopefully stop him before he starts making friends with the wrong sort of people. If he really is raised like you lot, he's going to need my help, to know the proper families," answered the pale boy arrogantly. "This is Crabbe, this is Goyle, and I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. I'm telling you lot because you will remember our names. Remember that no matter what do you do, no matter how hard you try, you'll never become like us Purebloods."

Dean raised an eyebrow at Harry, who shook his head, they watched as the three purebloods leave. Malfoy was muttering 'Mudblood', he wouldn't risk calling Dean the name right there face to face, the sandy haired boy might explain what it meant.

"Prats," muttered the sandy haired boy, "Sorry about that, but you'll meet prats like him. They think they're better than everyone else just because they're purebloods, family that have always been magical. Not that there's anything bad being a Muggle born."

"Don't know why I would want to become prats like them in the first place," replied Dean.

"So what kind of prats do you want to become?" joked Harry.

"Huh?" then Dean realized what Harry meant, though Dean's slight curve of a smile betrayed his angry demeanor, "Hey!"

"Good one," The sandy haired boy laughed, "I've never liked the whole blood purity thing. Not all purebloods are like that, but those who don't are considered traitors, Muggle lovers and then of course there are blood traitors. All the stuff about blood, it's stupid really. I'm half and half, me dad's a Muggle, mum's a witch," He then pursed his lips a bit, thinking, then took out a pack of cards from his pocket, "Hey, you two wanna play Exploding Snap? It's a wizard's card game, one that'll definitely keep you in suspense, but nothing dangerous."

"Sure," said Harry, Trevor squirmed in Harry's hands, "But we'll have to return this toad back to its owner first,"

"Great," the sandy haired boy smirked, "Let's play at your compartment,"

He didn't really want to tell Dean and Harry that he was still airing the smoke out from his compartment. His failed attempt at a mending charm caused a very smoky explosion that caused everyone in the compartment to come out coughing.

"Name's Seamus, by the way," said Seamus, following them to another carriage.

"Dean," replied Dean.

Harry thought he might as well get it over with, everyone would know in the end, given the rumors already flying. "Harry."

"Harry? Harry Potter? As in the Harry Potter?" Seamus predictably slowly looked up at Harry's fringe, looking for the scar.

"Is your name common or something?" asked Dean, having seen another person's reaction to Harry's name besides Hermione, he smirked. "This is going to take some getting used to, being friends with someone famous,"

"You wouldn't have known if it wasn't for Hermione," commented Harry.

"Since I knew you before the whole Boy-Who-Lived thing, I don't you'll be worrying much about me being friends just because you're famous," smirked Dean.

"Wait, if you're Harry, then that prat Malfoy…" realization dawned on Seamus' face.

Seamus burst into laughter, Harry and Dean joined in understanding, to the point that he wiped away a tear while recovering from a stitch.

"Oh wow… I can't wait to see the look on that prat's face when he finds out," said Seamus.

"Can you keep it a secret? At least, for now," requested Harry, looking over his back for a moment, "Just because I'm famous, doesn't mean I like being famous."

"He hates it," added Dean.

"Sure, no problem," replied Seamus, still excited at the fact he's talking to the Boy-Who-Lived.

"You'd hate it too if you realize the things that happened just before he took down that dark wizard," said Dean, remembering Hermione's deductions and Harry's explanation. "What was his name again? Voldamork?"

"Voldemort," corrected Harry.

Seamus gasped, then hissed, "Don't say his name!"

"Hermione wasn't joking. They really are scared to say his name," replied Dean.

"Of course we are! He wasn't just any dark wizard. He's like _the_ lord of dark wizards in history. You would be scared too, once you know how terrible of a dark lord he was before Harry here took him out," replied Seamus.

"May be it's because I was raised by Muggles, but I think being scared of a name is just stupid," commented Harry, "Come on, I don't think Trevor likes being held too long."

"Probably the reason why it got away in the first place," said Dean.

Trevor gave one loud croak, hoping to surprise whoever the person that had managed to hold him for so long. Sadly, Harry wasn't Neville, thus he wasn't spooked let alone drop the toad like how it usually would happen.

"Hey Seamus, how do you know Voldemort's name if everybody's too scared to say it?" Harry ignored Seamus' brief wince.

"Look at what we found," announced Harry, holding out Trevor to Neville and Hermione.

"Trevor!" Neville came running, in which Harry then deposited the toad onto its owner's cupped hands.

For the rest of the trip to Hogsmeade Station was filled with exploding cards, more specifically cards that simply flip in a sudden burst of loud bangs. There were a variety of packs, the difference lie in the degree of the cards exploding. Seamus later explained his mother bought him a pack that only made exploding sounds as the cards flipped haphazardly into the air. He said he had a cousin whose pack of cards could explode to the point players would end up with singed eyebrows at least.

"Just because you're beginners doesn't mean I'll go easy on you," said Seamus, shuffling the cards that contained pictures of dragons, giants, unicorns, phoenixes, fire crabs, and trolls. "Just so you know, I'm known as Seamus of the Snap whenever I play with my cousins at family gatherings."

After only two rounds of the game, 'Seamus of the Snap' watched Harry repeatedly win 'Classic' Exploding Snap. Harry's good reflexes easily aided him, quickly tapping onto the identical picture in comparison to the card dealt out for him. It got tougher as five cards, at maximum, were dealt out to be tapped out with lesser time to tap the matching card. Tap the wrong picture or take too long, the dealt out cards would flip everywhere in a sound of explosions.

Hermione proved to be best of the four at 'Patience', not that she really wanted to play the rather explosive game in the first place. She succumbed after much of the boys' constant invitations for her to play, her book put aside for a short while. She quickly memorized and tapped the matching cards from the twenty cards that were laid out. All the cards flipped repeatedly and haphazardly to be paired, suspense was a major part of the game, as the cards shook harder and harder from the instance the first match is unveiled.

In the end, Seamus told them that he'd show no mercy once they'll play Gobstones.

o.o.o.O.O.O.o.o.o

The hut on the rock had been the farthest place Harry had ever gone to. His school was before that, since he never did go to a school trip, now it was Hogwarts.

Harry was surprised, very much surprised. Having seen a large tentacle emerge from the surface of the lake and placed Neville, who had accidentally fallen, back on his boat was a surprise. He'd never forget that surprise from the boat ride at night across the Black Lake. Yet that still was nothing compared to this.

From the moment McGonagall maintained a stern face from the moment Harry saw her, to the way she talked to him and all the other first years in the chamber by the Great Hall. If Harry hadn't seen her serious demeanor at the hut on the rock, he would have thought Aunt Minnie had a twin, a change of personality, or something.

"Now, then, any questions?" asked McGonagall, after looking at all the first years.

Nobody said anything, mostly shaking their heads lightly in return.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in front of the rest of the school in a few more minutes. Do smarten yourselves as much you can." McGonagall finished, before leaving the chamber. "We will begin once I return."

Harry unsuccessfully tried to flatten his wild black hair with both hands. It had always been like that ever since he could remember, and apparently was going to continue remaining so.

"Hey Hermione, how exactly do they sort us into houses?" asked Dean, neither Harry nor Hermione ever mentioned the sorting process itself.

"I don't know, it's not mentioned in any of the books I've read," replied Hermione nervously. "Not even in 'Hogwarts, A History'."

Seamus shrugged before Dean could ask him, while Hermione was back to muttering all the spells she knew. That really wasn't helping any of them.

"How about you, Harry? Do you know?" Dean turned to the said boy.

"No, I don't," replied Harry, unaware of the surprised looks of the faces of those around him. "All I've ever been told about it is that it's a surprise."

Everyone began whispering to one another, friends or acquaintances they've made in the Hogwarts Express.

Malfoy then step out with an incredulous, Crabbe and Goyle by his side, "You're Harry Potter,"

"Nice going, Dean." Seamus sniggered by Dean's side, he had stuck close by Dean, Harry, and Hermione's side ever since.

It was a good thing first years didn't have to worry about their trunks or pets.

"He's not Harry Potter," replied Dean, confusing those around him momentarily, "He's _the_ Harry Potter."

Seamus elbowed Dean with a slight frown, having heard the way Dean mimicked his tone when they met on the train earlier. Seamus' frown didn't affect Dean's chuckling, however Harry's frown did, to which the tall boy quickly stopped.

"Yeah, I'm Harry." said Harry, "Let me tell you something. Draco. Malfoy." He stressed the name that Draco told him he shouldn't forget, "I think I can tell just the sort of people I should and shouldn't be friends with."

Malfoy fumed, watching Harry smiled with his laughing friends. Despite the fact that Hermione shook her head in disapproval, Harry definitely saw her smile. Malfoy retreated back, only to see Ron snigger when they looked at each other, the Weasley sniggered mostly because of having heard Malfoy's name. Malfoy would have ridiculed Ron having recognized the red hair and hand-me-down robes if McGonagall hadn't turned up.

"We're ready now. Follow me," ushered McGonagall.

The Great Hall was as grand as Sirius and Remus described it, Harry would have really admired the place more if he wasn't too nervous about the sorting as all the first years walked in a single line behind McGonagall. Aside from the torches by the walls, the hall was also lit by hundreds, if not thousands, of candles floated over the four long tables where the students of the four houses sat down. Dean stared open mouth as he looked at the floating candles and the night sky that was the hall's ceiling.

"The ceiling is bewitched to look like the sky outside," whispered Hermione, thinking she no longer had to keep mentioning about the book to the boys.

When McGonagall placed a very dirty wizard's hat on a stool, in front of the staff table for everyone to see, Harry was even more nervous. Dean thought he would have been more nervous if Harry and Hermione hadn't taught him some of the spells they knew.

"Are we supposed to do magic on that hat?" whispered Dean.

"What?" Seamus hissed in shock, already imagining himself blowing up the hat with his wand.

"Maybe," Harry stared at the poor state of the hat, he definitely didn't know any spell that could clean it. "Hermione?"

"The mending charm would work," suggested Hermione in a low voice

All four of them stood quite when McGonagall looked at them with narrowed eyes, Hermione couldn't believe she just made a bad impression in front of a teacher. When the rip near the hat's brim opened much like a mouth and sang, thoughts about performing on the magic disappeared. It even told them that they'd be putting it on to be sorted into their respective house. Once it finished singing, McGonagall read the names off the parchment she had.

"Abbot, Hannah!"

Her voice was loud and clear for everyone in the Great Hall to hear.

Harry watched at the girl was sorted into Hufflepuff at the hat was placed for a short pause on the girl's head. Loud cheers and claps could be heard from the students of the Hufflepuff table, McGonagall only continued after Hannah while she sat down. Terry Boot was the first student sorted into Ravenclaw, followed by Susan Bones into Hufflepuff, Mandy Brocklehurst into Ravenclaw. Lavender Brown became the first student among the first years to be sorted into Gryffindor. Seamus smiled nervously at Harry, Dean, and Hermione before he went for his turn to put on the hat. It took a while minutes, longer than any student before him, unknown to anyone the hat was deciding whether to put him in Hufflepuff or Gryffindor.

"Gryffindor!"

Hermione was right after, the most eager of her year, in which the hat took far longer deciding than it did with Seamus. Dean and Harry knew it was probably trying to decide between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. It was then Harry realized something, he couldn't believe he didn't realize it immediately. He was no longer nervous about being sorted.

He was scared.

'No…' Harry didn't think he could risk putting on that, remembering the hat's words. How and why it could take so long for some students like Hermione to be sorted.

_There's nothing hidden in your head the Sorting Hat can't see_

He gulped, his heart beating fast as he thought of the repercussions if the hat was placed on his head. It would know he knows Sirius after his godfather's escape from Azkaban. Was this the real reason why Sirius couldn't stay at his den and had to be on the run? Why he couldn't let Harry know where he was? The hat could read his mind! It might shout about Sirius for everyone to hear. But then Harry also realized the hat would know that he knew Sirius was innocent. It didn't take long before Harry dismissed the idea of anything good could come out of this.

'_Aunt Minnie!'_ Harry screamed in head, trying to make eye contact with McGonagall.

Could she read minds like the hat can? Harry thought if a wizard could cast magic on a hat for it to be able to read minds, surely a wizard could do the same. Could it?

'_Remus and Aunt Minnie couldn't have forgotten about the hat,'_ thought Harry.

Did they overlook the fact that this hat would be placed on his head? McGonagall surely couldn't have. Then Harry wondered if the hat could only sing and sort students. He couldn't care less about the fact Neville was being laughed at, having walked to the Gryffindor table with the Sorting Hat on and quickly returned it. More and more students were sorted, Harry calmed himself down, McGonagall and Lupin must have thought of everything.

'_Just don't think about Sirius. Think anything else besides Sirius, wait,'_ Harry then realized how silly his thoughts were.

He really wouldn't mind performing magic on that hat in order to be sorted. Just then, Sally Anne Perks was sorted into Hufflepuff.

"Potter, Harry!" read out McGonagall.

Harry realized it was finally his turn, and whispers could be heard as he walked towards the stool. Dean gave him a thump on the back right before he left, Harry heard some of the students say 'The Harry Potter'. Seamus and Hermione exchanged glances across the table and waited nervously. The two of them couldn't think anything else, to them Harry just had to be sorted into Gryffindor. All Harry could do was hope for the best, that the Sorting Hat wouldn't say anything to anyone about Sirius. McGonagall lowered the magical artifact on his head, he gripped the stood hard, and now saw the inside of the hat since it had been lowered past his eyes.

Basically, he saw nothing but pitch black darkness.

The Sorting Hat merely picked up nothing but the faintest of Harry's emotions. It tried to go deeper into the recess of Harry's mind only to have something gripped the hat's brim, very hard.

"What?" wondered the Sorting Hat.

It was no longer on Harry's head in attempt to read his mind, but being carried away in water. Sea water. The hat realized it could somehow taste the salty water it was in, the only time it ever had such sense was from reliving the memories of those it had been placed on.

_'Is this his dream?'_ the Sorting Hat wondered if this was Harry's memory, but then realized the swimming creature that was biting the brim was a bottle nosed dolphin.

The mammal finally reached the surface, leapt out and released the hat out into the air. A loud long cry of an eagle could be heard as it grabbed the filthy hat with its talons. After repeated flapping of the eagle's wings, the Sorting Hat took a good look of the crashing waves below and large cliff several feet away as both it and the eagle went higher and higher.

_'This is no memory of his life. Perhaps a memory of his dreams?'_ the Sorting hat should have known it wasn't memory of his daily life. Who would be carried by a dolphin only to be snatched away by an eagle?

_'No, this isn't his dream,'_ the Sorting Hat fell when the talons had released it mid air.

Godric Gryffindor's wizard hat plummeted straight down, instead of being drifted away by the wind while falling from such a great height like any wizard's hat should. With the fold on the hat curving like it the hat's brow, it couldn't help but notice the various animals that were there. Apex predators of the land, animals at the top of the food chain, out in front while those of the lower food chain behind them. Various species of tigers, jaguars, leopards, lions, bears, jackals, hyenas, coyotes, pythons, anacondas, the salt water crocodile and Komodo dragon were examples of those predators. The mammalian predators snarled and growled, baring their sharp fangs, their hackles raised, throat rumbled. A polar bear and the Kodiak bear, the biggest carnivores according to Muggle zoologists, clearly dwarfed most of the land predators. The rest of the animals behind the predators did the same, showing more than just displeasure at the hat.

A loud thunderous roar in the sky silenced all the birds and animals in an instant, though the Sorting Hat couldn't really hear where it was coming from.

"Godric, what kind of trouble have I put myself into?" the Sorting Hat could do nothing but wait, just like in reality.

All the animals began to back away, never looking anywhere else, their eyes kept on staring at the wizard's hat. They were doing everything together, their movements in retreating, their shared silence, the calm breathing, it was as if every action and thought were shared. They were all different and yet the same. The Sorting Hat couldn't grasp any thought within the mindscape, yet very well knew what all the animals were thinking. Knowing who exactly this dirty, patchy hat was to them.

One who had come into their territory.

Thus, it was an intruder.

One that would be dealt by the alpha male of this animal kingdom.

The Sorting Hat could feel the ground shudder, something of great weight that abruptly landed, now towering over the magical artifact. It was utterly black from the tips of its horns to the tip of its tails, an embodiment of darkness to which no light shined upon it, the Sorting Hat could only make the creature's outlines. As the hat looked up at creature that blocked the sun's rays, it could hear the sound of the creature folding its wings.

It stooped low, taking a much closer look at the intruder of its kingdom. There were definitely horns on its very furry head, perhaps a mane? Its various tails moved like snakes, surrounding the hat as if blocking any means of escape, not that the hat would. Before the hat could continue, talons picked up the dirty hat once again, though this time the obvious large difference of power could be felt. Whatever the creature was, it lifted the hat up high for all the animals to see. As if a barbarian was showing the decapitated head of an enemy for all his fellow fighters to see.

It let loose another thunderous roar, this time much louder and somehow more menacing. The Sorting Hat dangled limply from the creature's talons as in display, carnivorous animals roared, barked, and hissed wanting a piece of the pointed hat. Birds and bats that circled up above flew around in haste, never bumping into one another, while they squawked, screeched, and cried.

They were all in frenzy, upon hearing the roar, now making noises of their own.

Without a doubt, whatever this animal was exactly, it was the head. The alpha. Leader. Boss. Chief. Animal in charge.

Utterly, the head animal within Harry's head.

"This doesn't look well," stated the Sorting Hat.

Herbivorous animals stomped their hooves, followed by grunts, moos, and brandishing of horns. It was as if they were chanting 'KILL IT! KILL IT! KILL IT! KILL IT!'

"I would readily leave, if I only knew how," said the Sorting Hat.

A creepy laughing from a spotted hyena didn't bode well for the hat that was almost as ancient as Hogwarts. As if understanding what the hat had said, the alpha male dangled the hat over its head as it was going to put it on. Much to the Sorting Hat's distress, the creature proceeded to open its jaws wide, enough to swallow the hat whole. Sharks were fishes known to have rows upon rows of fine serrated teeth, where the teeth would readily replace any lost teeth on the front row like a conveyer belt.

However this creature had the rows of fangs instead, where it would easily tear any flesh with its deadly biting force. Jaws much more powerful than a salt water crocodile's would only mean any prey bitten would only have its body parts torn apart. As the Sorting Hat was dropped into the abyss that was the creature's mouth, it fleetingly watched the rows of teeth glittered like precious crystals that jutted out cave walls.

Darkness disappeared like someone had just flicked on the light switch, the hat found itself back on Harry's head in the Great Hall. Everyone was silent, still waiting anxiously to the sorting of the Boy-Who-Lived, the only sound that could be heard were the burning of torches supported in scones all.

"It seems that I'm back," stated the Sorting Hat.

The hat could only detect fleeting confusion and curiosity from Harry's head, and realized it still had to sort the boy into a house.

"Hm…" The Sorting Hat began to ponder.

It momentarily tried to read Harry's mind once again, the scenery of the Great Hall around the boy and the hat flickered. However it immediately stopped trying, having seen four green eyes shine in darkness, and was back on top of Harry's head. How ironic, the year the Sorting Hat decided to sing about nothing would be hidden from one's head that it can't see, and a boy shows up being able to do just that.

Another rare stall in the sorting was taking place, now being the longest to date, easily breaking Hermione's record of four and a half minutes, whom the Hat wavered placing between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Neville couldn't beat Hermione's record, wishing to be sorted into Hufflepuff when the Hat suggested Gryffindor. Harry was already taking twice as long.

The Sorting Hat sighed, and could only do what any inquisitive child would do. Ask.

"You've seen your fellow contemporaries sorted into their houses. Tell me, Mr. Harry James Potter, which house you want to be in?" asked the Sorting Hat.

'_I get to choose?'_ thought Harry.

Given the moment of silence, the Sorting Hat told him, "You'll have to tell me whatever you're thinking, I can't see what's inside your head."

"You- You can't?" Harry was surprised, at the same time instantly relieved.

Given Harry's reaction, whatever that happened in his mind was not something he consciously did. The Sorting Hat concluded that perhaps it was purely instinctive on Harry's part, not wanting it to see, naturally meaning he had something to hide.

"No, I can't, and since I am unable to see what I needed to see inside your head… Yes, you get to choose," answered the Sorting Hat. "While I do take one's choice into account at times, I do sort them into the house that I think is best for them."

Neville was an example of such, having wrangled with the Hat, wanting to be sorted into Hufflepuff when he felt quite intimidated when the Sorting Hat mentioned Gryffindor to him. Though the Sorting Hat lost previously against Hermione, it made up with its victory with Neville.

"Gryffindor, I want to be in Gryffindor," said Harry.

"Gryffindor? Not Slytherin? Ravenclaw? Or Hufflepuff?"

"Definitely, definitely Gryffindor," Harry asserted.

"You seem to have made up your mind, quite adamant much like your friends, Hermione Granger and Seamus Finnigan. If that is your choice, then…" The Sorting Hat then finally shouted for everyone in the Great Hall to hear, "GRYFFINDOR!"

All those at the Gryffindor table gave their loudest cheer, the loudest out of all four houses, when the hat shouted out the name. Harry noticed identical twins with red hair repeatedly cheering that they got Potter. A taller boy with the same red hair, wearing a prefect badge, quickly got up from his seat and shook Harry's hand enthusiastically.

"Welcome to Gryffindor! Percy Weasley, fifth year's prefect," Percy introduced himself.

"I'm Fred," one of the twins shook his hand.

"I'm George," said the other.

"We're the Weasley twins," chorused the both of them.

"You sure know how to keep people in suspense, Harry," Seamus smirked.

"Look, they're about to sort Dean." Hermione pointed out.

Harry turned around, as McGonagall had just placed the hat, "Come on, Dean,"

It didn't take long at all for the Sorting Hat was back on a head it could clearly see everything, it was as if it wanted to make up for its prior inability, and shouted after finishing its assessment, "GRYFFINDOR!"

"Yes!" Seamus cheered while the rest of the Gryffindors clapped their hands.

After the sorting finished, with Ronald Weasley being the last to be sorted into Gryffindor, everyone finally got to eat their dinner. Harry, Hermione, Dean, and Seamus got better acquainted with the Weasley siblings. Every once in a while Harry could sense someone trying to have a look at his scar while he ate. It was the most extravagant meal he had ever see, a large assortment from roast beef to Yorkshire pudding, piles of them appearing magically on the golden dishes. He definitely was going to try everything they had though a bit of everything would be more than just a plate full. They were more delicious than they looked.

Dean swallowed his food, and then briefly looked up at the floating candles, "You know, I actually thought those candles would be dripping hot wax on us when I saw them. Then I realized they must have used magic on those candles."

Unknowingly, he had just given the Weasley twins a good idea for a prank. Harry listened to Hermione's conversation with Percy the moment he heard the word 'transfiguration', the prefect told her that they'd only start with turning match sticks into needles. Harry figured since he was now at Hogwarts, he could go check the library for more books on Transfiguration. Across the table, Parvati look repulsed upon seeing Ron eat his dinner, his cheeks puffed up like a chipmunk carrying nuts in its mouth. This didn't go unnoticed by the older Weasleys.

"Ron!" Percy hissed through clenched teeth.

"Can you lean back a bit, Harry? Thanks," Fred leaned close, his left hand reached out and flicked Ron in the ear.

"Eei! Wa wo haf fo?" scowled Ron with a mouthful.

"Show some table manners, Ron," Percy scowled back, "Unless you haven't notice, people are staring. At. You."

"Yeah, people would start to think-," added Fred.

"mum and dad starve you back home," finished George.

Ron grumbled however he did finish his dinner taking fewer bites and chewing more before swallowing his food. Harry was enjoying his dessert, savoring the taste of a treacle tart when something occurred to him.

"Hey Fred, who cooked all this?" asked Harry.

"House-elves," answered Fred easily, Harry's confused look caused him to explain further, "Their kitchen is right below us. They do all the cooking and cleaning in Hogwarts."

"Do they use magic to cook?"

"No, I don't think so. They probably, no, definitely do everything by hand. That gives them more work to do." Fred then joked, "Why? You want to know their recipe or something?"

"Do you think they'd mind?" replied Harry, surprising the Weasley.

"Uh…" Fred didn't expect that, he turned around to his twin for a few whispers then back, "You can go see them work or even ask them yourself. I bet they'd be crying themselves silly thinking it's an honor for the Boy-Who-Lived to come and see them."

Harry grimaced at the thought.

"We can show or tell you how to get there, whichever way you want," offered George.

"May be later," mused Harry, "thanks anyway."

"Ask us anything," said Fred.

"Anything at all," continued George.

"And we'll see," said Fred.

"What we can do," continued George.

"For you." The both of them chorused.

The first years' reaction of shortly being rendered into a stupor, except Ron, by the twins had the older Gryffindors chuckling.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it," said Lee Jordan, a boy who introduced himself earlier as a third year.

Dumbledore's announcement made at the end of the feast about the forbidden third floor corridor caused a few students to laugh. Harry was hardly amused, but did wonder why exactly it was made forbidden in the first place. From Percy's reaction and what the twins had told him, the place wasn't forbidden previously. He heard from Lupin that the Shrieking Shack was used as a place for the Marauder to transform into a werewolf. That did make Harry wonder whether someone in his year was a werewolf.

"He wasn't joking, was he?" asked Dean. "About dying a horrible death?"

"He wasn't. I hardly think he'd be joking about dying," Hermione then elaborated, "The forest he mentioned earlier is forbidden because a lot of dangerous creatures live there."

"Dangerous creatures, okay, got it," Dean jotted that down in his head.

"Think they're keeping one in that forbidden corridor?" Seamus shuddered, thinking a banshee just waiting at a stony corridor.

"Whatever it is, I don't think we'd be going there to find out," answered Hermione, she noticed Harry seem to be preoccupied staring at the High Table where the teachers sat. "Harry?"

"Hm?"

"Is something wrong?" Hermione asked further.

"No, it's nothing." Harry looked away, eyebrows furrowed as he could have sworn the greasy haired man in black robes was glaring at him.

"Come on, everyone's leaving," Hermione got up.

Prefects of the four houses began ushering their fellow members, mostly the first years, to different parts of Hogwarts. They were to show where their common room and dormitories are located. The long walk from the Great Hall to the dormitory relieved Harry's stomach for a bit. Hermione told Harry, Dean, and Seamus that there was a Chinese saying about a hundred steps after a meal, the mild movement aids digestion.

"Bed…" Seamus groaned as they walked up the staircase.

"You read my mind," commented Dean.

Harry remained silent, now thinking about what the Sorting Hat had said, its inability to see what it wanted to see in his head. Any drowsiness Harry had disappeared when he suddenly gasped, he felt as if a bucket of icy water was dumped on him. The perpetrator turned out to be Peeves, Hogwart's poltergeist, having just flown straight through him. Harry shivered as he stood rigid at the stairs, slightly panting, he could feel goose bumps all over.

"Thought I'd help you out, you looked very sleepy." Peeves cackled. "Ickle firsty."

Harry glared at the mischievous ghost, hardly amused. Percy came jogging down the stairs, having seen Peeves floating by the first years.

"Get lost, Peeves!" yelled Percy.

"Or what?" challenged Peeves as he floated away, watching Percy standing by Harry's side.

"Or I'll tell the Bloody Baron or worse, Professor Dumbledore." Percy threatened.

"Ooooooh, I'm trembling in fear," Peeves then stopped, he didn't like the way Harry was glaring at him.

For a ghost, he had seen a lot of teachers, students, and other ghosts glare at him for is shenanigans. But the green eyed glare was unnerving, different from the Bloody Baron's. He wouldn't show he was scared, not to the prefect and let the red head know that he was intimidated by such threat.

Peeves stuck out his tongue, "Lucky for you, I have better things to do."

He dived down and head straight to where the Hufflepuffs would be, cackling in his attempt to forget the glare he just got.

"Are you alright?" asked Percy.

"Fine," answered Harry, rubbing his hands together.

"The nasty cold will pass. You have to keep a look out for those ghosts, well mostly Peeves, it's not nice accidentally walking through them," advised Percy.

"Kind of hard to do when they can just pass through walls," said Seamus.

"Is there any way to stop them from doing this?" asked Hermione.

"Peeves hardly listen to anyone besides Professor Dumbledore and the Bloody Baron," Percy then left and continued leading them to their dormitory.

Percy showed them the entrance behind a portrait, the Common Room, and the spiraling staircase that would lead the boys and girls to their respective dormitory. Harry lay awake on his bed, while everyone else was sound asleep the moment they lay on their beds. He sighed before instinctively getting up to stand by the tower's window. A smile dawned on his face when Hedwig flew in, as he knew his familiar had flown from the Owlery.

"Hey girl," Harry scratched the snowy owl's head with a finger.

As usual, Hedwig nipped Harry's finger and his ear as a sign of affection.

"How's the Owlery?" asked Harry, he would have to check the place, having only heard it from Sirius and McGonagall.

Hedwig hooted, again and again, short and long, telling him about the other owls she met and one particular spot at the Owlery which she had deemed as hers.

"That's nice," Harry yawned, he petted her, "I've got to go to bed, so good night, Hedwig."

With a flap of wings, Hedgwig landed by the window sill.

"Happy hunting," wished Harry, just before his owl hooted and took flight.

Harry closed the window and tried to get some sleep. That night, he no longer dreamed out the myriad of animals' gathering. Instead, he dreamt of walking across the plain of grass with the hedgehog, otter, and fox he always saw on one side of the stream. He didn't even realize he was no longer human, despite the fact he had the hedgehog in his hand, the fox resting over his right shoulder, and the otter on top of his head, right between his horns. Even if he did realize it, it wouldn't matter since he couldn't remember the dream when he'd wake up the next morning.

o.o.o.O.O.O.o.o.o

The Sorting Hat began to contemplate from where its place inside Dumbledore's office. Each and every thought he saw was confidential, never to be mentioned except between it and the particular student.

'_Your friends will need all their courage for being by your side, Harry James Potter,_' the Sorting Hat thought.

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******Rate and Review, please. Sadly I'm unable to use the Imperius Curse through the internet. I wouldn't know how I'm doing or any inconsistency that needed to be fixed. I almost wrote Dean sitting with Seamus and Hermione while Harry was being sorted, only to remember Dean was sorted right after Harry.  
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**It makes me happy seeing all the positive response, so many keeping an eye out on this fic. The number of story alerts for this story increased so much with the previous chapter. I just hope I can get more feedback besides my beta reader's as regards to the latest chapter.**

**On one hand, I'm happy with the pace I've set up in publishing between chapters, this being a bit longer than the previous chapters. On the other hand, I'm a bit unsatisfied with the progress, seems kinda slow but then again this is just Book I. Especially given this particular chapter's predictability and similarity with the books or movies.**

**I've always seen Voldemort as a very powerful wizard. Dumbledore had won against Grindlewald who wielded the Elder Wand, and yet he with the Elder Wand still couldn't win against Voldemort. Having his killing curse rebound and kill him just because of a wand rule is definitely not the way for him to go in my story.  
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	5. Blood at fault

**The stories on this site are based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books, Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No copyright or trademark infringement is intended. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. Seriously. Any mention of any other copyrighted materials that belong to their respective legal entities is not intended to be a form of copyright infringement. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.**

**Sadly, both myself and my beta reader think this particular chapter isn't entirely eventful. However, I think it's still good enough to be a little entertaining.  
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**A huge thank you to my beta reader, PhoenixFanatic999, for making this story bearable for mortal eyes. Despite my best efforts, the simplest of grammatical and spelling mistakes that he pointed out still managed to elude me.**

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To Harry's surprise, the greasy long haired man who he thought had been glaring at him during the welcoming feast turned out to be Severus Snape. During his stay with Mrs. Fig, he had already heard a brief introduction of all the staff members from McGonagall, Snape being the man who teaches Potions at Hogwarts. Sirius and Remus had been there when she told him, the news of the former Death Eater teaching instead of rotting in Azkaban didn't sound good for Sirius. What should have been more talks about Hogwarts had turned to be about Snape.

To Sirius, that was another reason why he couldn't trust Dumbledore.

It had been during breakfast when McGonagall gave them their timetables, during which Harry heard from Fred and George that the man was a bias teacher. A man who'd take any chance to take away points from the other three houses, hating students except his Slytherins. The first day of school and he had met Snape in his first Potions class. Snape picked on Harry from the very start he read off the attendance list. The man kept sneering and ridiculing him again and again in class, to the delight of Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherins. By the end of the class, Harry never thought he'd hate any man more than he hated his uncle Vernon until he met Severus Snape.

When Snape took away another point from Gryffindor simply because it was Harry's supposed fault for not stopping Neville, Harry stared at him. Neville hissed and whimpered in pain, his robes drenched with his failed concoction that melted Ron's cauldron, it had caused boils to appear all over his skin. Harry was clenching his teeth hard, the same thing Sirius did to control his anger especially whenever the Dursleys were the cause of that anger.

"Do you have something to say, Potter?" taunted Snape, having just deducted another point from Gryffindor.

Harry took a slow long breath as he glanced at Neville, then back at Snape. "I do. I'm sorry. Since you said this was my fault, I think I'll be the one to take Neville to the hospital wing. Ron can take my place and continue with Dean,"

All the Gryffindors glanced at one another, so did the Slytherins, while Snape was rendered speechless by a student for the first time ever. It was a winning situation for Snape either way, he could continue ridiculing Harry or have him gone for the rest of the class.

"Come on, Neville, I think we should hurry," said Harry, the red boils all over the said boy's skin could make anyone wince just by looking.

The few boils on the said boy's nose that popped didn't help. It was better for Harry to get away from Snape before he'd do something else where that man would deduct more points. Harry opened and closed the door for Neville, since it would have been painful for Neville to touch anything. Everyone in the Potions class stared at the door momentarily, glancing at one another and at Snape. The former Death Eater didn't like it one bit.

"Unless someone has something interesting to say as to what exactly is on my face, get back to work!" Snape snapped, startling both Slytherins and Gryffindors altogether.

Outside, Harry sighed as he and Neville climbed up the stairs at a slow pace. Neville must be having a hard time. It made Harry remember about the bruises from the bullying he got from Dudley's gang and Vernon's whippings.

"I'm sorry…" stuttered Neville, wincing as more boil under his clothes burst.

"For what?" asked Harry in confusion, leading the Longbottom scion, "if this is about me missing the rest of the class, I think you just did me a favor."

"It's my fault, not yours. If I hadn't added the porcupine quills…" muttered Neville.

"He'd probably blame me for something else, it doesn't matter," Harry shrugged, trying to forget about Potions class. "He's been picking on me in class again and again. You shouldn't be apologizing to me, I should be thanking you. So, thanks, Neville."

Anything was better than Snape.

Leaving the dungeons had been easy since it was all about retracing his steps from the Great Hall, but going to the hospital wing was going to be a problem.

"Do you know where the hospital wing is?" asked Neville.

"No," Harry frowned as he looked around, all the stairs, corridors, and trick doors only made it seem like he was in a maze.

"So… how are we going to get there?" asked Neville.

"Ask someone who knows," Harry stopped, there was something heading straight towards him.

A scrawny cat with tufted ears and tail approached Harry, observing him with its seemingly large yellow slit pupil eyes. It was Mrs. Norris, the infamous pet cat of Argus Filch the caretaker of Hogwarts, out on her usual patrol. Her eyes very much like the lamp that Filch carry around during his night patrols. Harry had noticed her at the welcoming feast last night, by her familiar's side.

"Mrs. Norris was it?" asked Harry, briefly remembering the name Flich called her, "Do you think you can tell me where the hospital wing is?"

Having spent a whole month with Mrs. Figg's pets, Harry didn't see anything wrong with talking to a cat, let alone asking it for directions. Mrs. Norris couldn't remember the last time any student had spoken softly at her. She could easily smell the horrendous smell of whatever potion that drenched Neville's robes, since that was what attracted her in the first place. All Neville heard was several of the cat's long meows, but Harry must have understood whatever those meows meant judging by his expression.

"Thanks," replied Harry, noting the cat had been quite frank unlike Mrs. Figg's playful pets, always bargaining for a scratch.

He bent down and momentarily scratched Mrs. Norris, much to the cat's surprise, behind her eyes.

Harry slowly made his way to the Grand staircase, Neville in tow, remembering the given directions the whole time he walked.

"Harry?" Neville called out nervously.

"What?" Harry stopped and turned around.

"Where are we going?" asked Neville.

"To the hospital wing," Harry thought it was quite obvious, before continuing his way up the stairs. "Fourth floor of the hospital tower, shortest way there is through here."

"Oh…"

Neville remained silent as they continued on, he heard about Parselmouths were those could talk to snakes. Just at Mrs. Norris had told him, Harry had reached the hospital wing through the fourth floor corridor. The school's matron by the name Poppy Pomfrey, another stern woman though nothing like McGonagall, knew what to do the moment she saw Neville's poor state. After an astonished reaction to seeing Harry, she told him that he should go to his next class. Harry asked her for directions to the Transfiguration classroom, 'Classroom 1B' under Transfiguration didn't mean any first year would know exactly where it was. He quickly went on his way, not wanting to be late though he did stop momentarily at the third floor before continuing on.

As Harry went down, he wondered why Snape hated him. He wasn't sure if he needed to include that in the letter he was going write to Sirius and Lupin. He was already used to being hated without knowing the reason why, after all he lived with the Dursleys for almost a decade. After a careful thought, he decided he'd wait and probably decide by the weekend.

Being alone was definitely not a good thing, students along the way and those out at the Middle Courtyard kept whispering at one another while staring at him. Harry tried to ignore them, Lupin and McGonagall had already told him all about his celebrity status and how he should handle it. He most definitely wasn't going to bask in it. His first class, and yet he couldn't be more relieved to be out of it. If Snape's class was going to continue throughout the semester just like the first class, Harry thought he was better off learning the subject without him. That man didn't even show the class how it was done, merely instructing them to just follow the instructions on the board, the same instructions from their textbook.

Aunt Petunia was better than Snape was when it came to teaching, as she did more than just criticize. At first she criticized and berated Harry as to everything he did in the kitchen, however she did at least taught him everything by actually correcting his mistakes and demonstrating him the proper way to do something. How to chop vegetables, peel the skin of fruits and potatoes, knead dough, to preparing a roast turkey. In the end, the only thing she could do was constantly reminding him not to mess up and burn their meals.

'_Can't believe I'm actually thinking about her,'_ though Harry as he leaned against the wall.

Harry didn't have to wait long before the first year Gryffindors, except Neville, and Hufflepuffs turned up, he noticed all his fellow Gryffindors looked miserable.

"How was the rest of Potions?" asked Harry, taking his bag from Dean.

"Bad. Real bad," frowned Dean.

"I got lucky," said Seamus, "I think I would have blown up my potion if Hermione hadn't stopped me from adding the snake fangs too early,"

"You're just exaggerating," commented Dean.

"Oh just you wait, there's going to be explosions," shuddered Seamus.

"Professor Snape was totally unfair," remarked Hermione.

"That's a mild way of saying it," replied Harry.

"After you and Neville left, Crabbe and Goyle's cauldron began bubbling and started giving out a funny smell. Snape said nothing when he made their potion vanish, he just continued on like nothing happen," explained Dean.

"He definitely hates me for some reason," said Harry.

"Who knows what that greasy codger would do if you hadn't left," Seamus nodded to Harry's statement.

"Seamus!" chastised Hermione.

"What?" Seamus didn't see why she was defending the appalling man.

"Don't call him that!" Hermione disapproved.

"You're right. Codger still sounds too nice, he's not that old anyways," Seamus frowned in thought, "How about slimy git? Or greasy git?"

Harry and Dean laughed, however Hermione was hardly amused.

"Oh come on, Hermione," said Seamus, "You were there when he was all nasty to us, to Harry. He kept ignoring your raised hand when Harry couldn't answer his first question. We all saw how he got worse when Harry got it right with the second question that had something to do with a goat. That third question about that Vil… Vel… Velicasilen thing, it isn't even in our text book since you didn't raise your hand when he asked Harry."

Hermione hated to admit Seamus was right, "It's Veritaserum, not Velicasilen. Anyways, it doesn't mean you should call him names. He's a teacher."

"A bad teacher," added Dean.

"But still!"

"Look, let's just forget about him," said Harry, "I hope Transfiguration will be much better than Potions."

The sound of footsteps and shuffling could be heard from the door before it opened, third year Slytherins and Hufflepuffs exited the class. Some were muttering about being given homework on their first class, they noticed Harry was there and couldn't help but look at him.

"Don't these people know it's rude to stare?" Dean glowered at the third years, he didn't care they were bigger than him.

"It's nothing, come on," Harry preferred not to be too bothered with the attention.

Much to their relief, all the other classes were better than Snape's Potions class, even History of Magic taught by a ghost, Professor Bins was preferable. Everyone except Hermione had a hard time staying awake, every now and then Harry's writing ended up trailed off as he tried to stay awake. In Transfiguration, Harry initially had a problem transfiguring his match stick into a needle. His match turned into a small stick insect for a brief moment, it then reverted back just as it was about to manage to move. Everyone else was too busy with their own match sticks to notice, and McGonagall was preoccupied telling Seamus that he might as well be given a whole match box if he was going to keep burning every match stick given. By the end of the class, Harry and Hermione had earned Gryffindor a point each having managed to transfigure their match sticks into needles.

Potions class was just a bumpy start of the week, the rest of the subjects were much better. His Aunt Minnie might be strict, but it was most definitely his favorite. Charms classes had been theoretical for the whole week, but Professor Flitwick told them they'd be practicing soon enough.

Potions was just a good reason why the Gryffindor first years hate Mondays.

Something peculiar had happened to Harry after they left their first class of Defence Against the Dark Arts. His skin began to redden after they left Professor Quirrel's class, in which Hermione thought Harry was coming down with a fever or something.

"Harry! Are you alright? You're all flushed," said Hermione.

"I am?" Harry looked confused, he didn't feel any different.

"You're like red all over," replied Seamus.

"They're right," agreed Dean, "Are you coming down with a fever or something?"

It wasn't just Harry's face, Hermione would have commented he was blushing if it was just his face. He was red all over just like Seamus said. Hermione knew that it wasn't a good sign. She knew if the skin got red like that, then it was because the blood vessels were dilating in attempt to increase the dissipation of heat. The lack of sweat made her worry more, as it also helps in regulating body temperature.

Hermione came closer, placed her palm on his forehead feeling Harry's lightning bolt shaped scar and her other palm on her forehead for comparison. "No, you don't feel hot."

"I don't feel any different actually," replied Harry.

"May be it's all that smell from Professor Quirrel's class," thought Hermione.

"I told you we shouldn't have sat up front. With the garlic smell from his turban and all those sticks he burns near the blackboard," said Dean.

Everyone though they were better off without the burning incense, Professor Quirrel said those were gifts from Tibetan monks.

"You could be allergic to garlic," said Hermione.

"No, I'm definitely sure I'm not allergic to garlic," replied Harry, if he did then he would have known right from the moment Aunt Petunia made him chop one.

"Then it must be those stick things that he burns, or both altogether," suggested Seamus.

"May be," said Harry.

"You should go to the hospital wing. Perhaps you could ask Professor Quirrel to stop burning incense in class. I'm sure he wouldn't mind, Harry, just for one class at least." Hermione recommended.

"Or I could just sit further back. I'm sure this is nothing, Hermione. I fine, really," replied Harry.

He didn't want to trouble anyone, not because of something like this. He had adults like Sirius and Figg worrying about his welfare, now he had friends. It was nice, people who cared about him, something that wasn't completely foreign to him. He had always been jealous of his cousin, Dudley, but it wasn't like he never felt it. Despite the harsh upbringing of the Dursleys, he wasn't a total mess of a child, an emotional wreck of some sort. Mrs. Figg saved him from that, so did Sirius, and later on Remus and McGonagall.

"Are you sure?" asked Hermione.

"I'm sure," smiled Harry, "I'll go see Madam Pomfrey the moment I feel sick."

Hermione calmed down after hearing what he said, though not completely. She didn't understand why the opposite gender always had to act all tough and everything.

"If you want, we could drag him to the hospital wing," suggested Dean, looking at Hermione.

"I have no problem with that," said Seamus.

Safe to say, Harry's skin stopped flushing after a short while. Blood vessels would move closer to the skin to radiate heat when the body starts to get hot for too long, further away to conserve heat when it gets too cold. Unknowingly to the four of them, Harry had been sitting too close for too long to Quirrel to the point his protection within his blood actually reacted to Voldemort's presence. Taking his own advice, Harry sat a few rows back, not up front nor too far at the back. He never did flush all red after class, since he never sat too close for too long. His first class was the only time he ever did.

o.o.o.O.O.O.o.o.o

Madam Irma Pince ushered the few remaining students within her library. Just a few minutes ago, she watched a quartet of first year Gryffindors on a Friday night. Even though it was still early into the school term, it was usually the most studious of Ravenclaws, especially those of the fifth year and seventh year that would stay in the library till its closing hour. She remembered the first time the bushy haired girl entered her library, despite only seeing her for a few times. Hermione had asked her a lot of questions, everything about the various sections of books, about the books she could borrow, and more. Who could forget Harry Potter? He wasn't ecstatic like Hermione had been, but he was still in awe of the grand library when they entered the library for the first time. She noticed the two boys, Seamus and Dean, were seemed slightly discontent when they Harry and Hermione into the library. However, they seemed quite relieved and much happier that they were now about to leave the library.

"You sure like Transfiguration, Harry," commented Dean, peeking over Harry's shoulder to see Madam Pince stamping the two books Harry's borrowing.

Madam Pince silenced him with a glare and a finger to her lips.

"Oops, sorry," Dean apologized.

The librarian's eyes widened to intensifying her glare.

"Why don't you and Seamus wait outside while Harry and I check out our books?" whispered Hermione.

"Doesn't matter, it's just a few books anyway," whispered back Seamus.

"I still can't believe you two talked me into doing homework in the library till closing time," said Dean, right outside the library.

"It got you to finish your essays, didn't it?" replied Hermione.

"Sure, but still…" Dean was still skeptical, "Transfiguration, Potions, AND History of Magic."

"But now we've don't have to bother with them," added Dean.

"Hermione and I helped like we said we would, didn't we?" smirked Harry.

When Hermione had suggested they try to finish all their homework at the library, Seamus and Dean had almost shot the idea down, preferring to do it much later. The essay on Emeric the Evil wasn't even due till Tuesday, and yet they had actually finished it. They couldn't turn down Harry and Hermione's offer to help should they do it together. Thanks to Hermione, Seamus even managed to stop burning his matches in Transfiguration and was less prone to cause anything to explode throughout the week. While Harry seemed to have a certain flair for Transfiguration, Hermione did excellently at everything. Only a fool would decline their offer of help, Hermione even had all their homework, even Harry's, checked.

They were on their way down straight to the Great Hall for dinner, perhaps one of the reasons why the library always closes at eight o'clock. To make sure students eat their dinner if any studied too long.

"A whole weekend with no homework," said Seamus happily.

"You're not going to spend the whole weekend reading all those books you checked out, are you?" asked Dean, looking at Hermione then at Harry.

"Not the whole time," answered Harry, thinking he'd probably read his Transfiguration books he borrowed before going to sleep.

"So what _are_ you planning to do?" asked Seamus.

"I'm going to explore Hogwarts, inside and out," said Harry with a hint of excitement in his voice, "I heard there are still a lot of things to see. Like the Quidditch pitch, the clock tower courtyard, Hagrid's hut, the lake, there's even a boat house."

"I thought about seeing what's outside too," replied Dean, "We've only been to the green houses for Herbology."

"You could bring a book," suggested Harry, looking at Hermione, "We could read under the shade of a tree or something. I've always liked reading outside."

Harry missed reading his books right by Sirius' den, and he always did prefer the outdoors ever since he started visiting his godfather.

"Sounds nice," Hermione smiled. "It would be refreshing to be outside."

"Hedwig's been wondering when I'd come and visit her at the Owlery," noted Harry.

He also needed Hedwig to send a letter to Sirius, there were so many things he wanted to tell him. He could sense Hedwig being slightly upset every time she swooped down at the Great Hall every breakfast. Harry saw the way his pet owl looked at all the other owls, be it students' pets or the school's, entering and leaving Hogwarts with something to be delivered. Hedwig would be delighted when he'd tell her she had a letter to deliver. He'd kill two birds with one stone, figuratively of course.

When they passed the third floor while walking up the staircase, Harry stopped.

"Harry?" called out Hermione.

He didn't answer her, it seemed as if he was trying to listen to something.

"Something wrong?" asked Dean.

Harry raised his hand to tell them to be quiet, and slowly walked down the stairs back to the third floor.

"Harry! Where are you going?" asked Dean, as he, Seamus, and Hermione followed him. "You didn't forget something in the library did you? I mean it's already closed."

Harry stopped and raised his hand, his friends stopped and remained quiet, as if a squad leader had signaled his team in a raid. He looked left and right, and moved again. He wasn't going to the library, having passed it without much of a glance to its doors.

"Where are we going?" Seamus looked at Dean and Hermione.

"Harry," Hermione called him.

"Trevor's around here," replied Harry, picking up his pace, he was worried he'd might lose the weird sense he was feeling.

"Wait," Dean furrowed his eyebrows.

They remembered seeing Neville's lost pet poster on the bulletin board in Gryffindor's common room; apparently his pet toad was missing again.

"Yeah," said Harry simply, turning left and walked past Classroom 3C, Defence Against the Dark Arts class.

"How do you know where he is?" asked Hermione.

"I..." Harry didn't know how exactly to answer that, "I just know,"

"What do you mean you just know?" asked Seamus. "Can't we do this later?"

"This is a big castle, who knows where Trevor could be next if we just leave it," replied Harry.

As they walked on further on the third floor, Hermione became more agitated the further they kept on going. They passed the familiar Charms corridor, then Gunhilda of Gorsemoor Corridor, unknowingly the trophy room. While it was usual to see suits of armor in Hogwarts' corridors, at times moving from one corridor to another, they noticed there were a lot of them aligned as they kept on going. They finally walked into another corridor, all dark unlike the previous ones, since none of the torches along its walls were lit. Harry could make out a door at the far end of the corridor, though it looked no different than any of the doors down at the dungeons.

"Harry, I don't think we're supposed to be here," said Seamus.

"We're definitely not supposed to be here," affirmed Hermione, "This must be the third floor's forbidden corridor."

Before either Seamus and Dean could say anything, the torches on their left and right on their left and right suddenly burned and startled Dean, Seamus, and Hermione to a halt. It was as if the torches had detected their presence and proceeded to light the corridor. Hermione quickly noticed a black line on the floor right in front of Harry's feet as he continued on walking. Just like the torches, a line suddenly glowed in wisps of blue on the floor.

"I don't think we're supposed to cross that line," said Seamus, stating the obvious.

"You heard Hermione. This is the forbidden corridor," replied Dean.

Harry however didn't seem deterred, he was about to step over the line when Hermione and Dean grabbed his robe.

"Harry! What were you doing?" asked Hermione incredulously.

"I told you already, to get Trevor," Harry then pointed, Neville's pet toad was right where he was pointing, beyond the magical line.

His friends blinked speechless, Seamus had his mouth agape.

"It's not like I'm going to go over, open that door, and die a horrible death," Harry frowned, remembering Dumbledore's warning.

"But Harry-" Hermione didn't finish, as Harry already had stepped over the line, and then scooped up Trevor from the floor.

In the darkness of the faintly lit corridor, they saw the soles of Harry's shoes momentarily glowed blue. Harry then looked at the door on the far end; there was something he could sense behind that door just like he did with Trevor. Whatever it was, it was far bigger than him. Familiar, different yet somehow still familiar.

"Okay, mate, you got the toad. Let's go!" shouted Dean, his feet right behind the line.

"What?" Harry turned to his friends.

"Let's go before Filch comes checking," Seamus looked around, really wishing nobody would come.

"Or worse, Snape," Dean dreaded.

Was it some sort of alarm alerting the teachers that someone had come too close to the forbidden corridor?

Their hearts skipped a beat when they saw quick movements of a shadow from a corner, from the shapes of it, it wasn't human. Hermione, Seamus, and Dean backed away a few steps, where they unconsciously moved over the magical line at the same moment a feline came running towards them.

It was a cat, but not just any cat.

A tabby cat.

Unlike Harry, his three friends could actually hear sizzling sound coming from their feet as their shoes glowed bright. With a loud bang, Hermione, Seamus, and Dean were suddenly sent hurtling, only to realize they were staring with their nose just inches away from the floor which they should have landed roughly onto it.

"Uh… what's going on?" Seamus blinked, he felt as if he was being floating.

A flick of someone's wand, he fell flat onto the floor, along with Dean and Hermione. All three of them groaned in pain while they rubbed their noses.

"Consider yourselves lucky! Mr. Finnigan, Mr. Thomas, Miss Granger. You three would have landed more painfully if I hadn't intervened."

All three of them felt their heart skip a beat upon hearing the voice.

"Pro… Professor McGonagall…" acknowledged Seamus, slowly getting up.

As for the rest of the quartet, Hermione squeaked in surprise, Dean gulped, while Harry simply kept on watching. He had see the familiar tabby cat turn into his Transfiguration teacher in which she then proceeded to stop his friends from roughly falling with a swish of her wand. Later on, Hermione figured McGonagall did them a bigger favor, they could have fractured or completely break the ink bottles in their bags and ruin everything inside. McGonagall had much of her attention of her three Gryffindors that it was then later she realized another was still standing behind the Age Line. For a few seconds, her mouth opened and closed like a fish in water.

"Mr. Potter! Come here this instant!" ordered McGonagall.

Harry meekly yet still quickly jogged over, joining his friends' side.

"Explain yourselves! What are the four of you doing in the forbidden corridor?" McGonagall demanded.

Harry never felt so guilty, to have McGonagall angry at his friends because of his fault.

"It's my fault, they followed me to look for Neville's lost toad," Harry quickly explained, McGonagall took notice of the toad in his hands.

"They kept telling me about it, but I didn't listen. I already saw Trevor was over that line, and… I thought I'd just cross over to get it."

The toad croaked, oblivious to the trouble it had caused.

"Just crossed over to get it?" parroted McGonagall. "In the forbidden corridor?"

"That's all, honest!" replied Harry.

"And nothing happened when you did?" asked McGonagall further.

"Uh, my shoes did glow blue for a bit," answered Harry.

The fact that her three Gryffindors were ejected showed McGonagall the Age Line was working as it should. Dumbledore had cast this himself in which those under the age of twenty wouldn't be able to pass through the Age Line. It was the perfect way to keep students from entering the forbidden corridor, since even the oldest students of the seventh year are no older than nineteen. Flitwick and McGonagall had suggested its use to keep students from wondering after curfew, but Dumbledore had told them the complexity of the spell made it impractical. It takes time to cast and dispel the Age Line, there's also the limit of minimal duration the Age Line has been to be cast. Eight hours was just too short for such a complex spell such as the Age Line to work.

"Show me, Mr. Potter," said McGonagall.

Who was she kidding? She herself just saw Harry stand beyond the line, and it did nothing to him.

"Step behind that line," clarified McGonagall.

Harry didn't question her, and just did what he was told. Hermione, Dean, and Seamus looked at one another and then at Harry. When he did, the soles of his shoes glowed blue just like it did the first time, Hermione realized what was going on. She figured the same thing should happen like it did with her, Seamus, and Dean. But it the glow faded pretty much like before. No sizzling sound, no one sent flying, for some reason the Age Line didn't work on Harry.

McGonagall scrunched her eyebrows together, frowning, there was denying it, "That's enough, Mr. Potter,"

Harry retreated back, he now understood what was troubling McGonagall, and so did Dean and Seamus. The Deputy Headmistress wondered if this was just another mystery about Harry, who had somehow miraculously survived a Killing Curse and destroyed Voldemort too. Was it also the reason why the Age Line was ineffective to him? It was then McGonagall crossed the line, testing the Age Line, lifting her robes slightly in order to see her shoes. It didn't glow at all.

The wildest possibility of Harry being an imposter was out, if it someone with a Polyjuice Potion then his shoes wouldn't have reacted to the Age Line just like her. McGonagall then pointed her wand at the corridor and waved it around, murmuring the spell's incantation that the quartet Gryffindors couldn't hear.

"Now, try again," said McGonagall.

So Harry did, two steps later, he was surprised when he had walked straight into an invisible wall.

"Ow," Harry rubbed his nose, fixing his glasses that were askew upon impact.

"Good," said McGonagall, she definitely seemed to think Harry's minor pain was well warranted. "A bump in the nose is nothing compared to what lies behind that door, Mr. Potter. The headmaster was very clear that students are not allowed here."

"Actually all he…" Seamus never finished, having received an elbow to the rib courtesy of Dean.

"Ten points from Gryffindor," McGonagall unsympathetically declared, "While your intentions were noble, it was no excuse to be in the forbidden corridor, especially having heard your friends' warnings. You should have called for a teacher." The four of them stared down at their shoes, "and two points for Gryffindor," Harry looked up, surprised, "for helping a fellow student."

At least she was willing to hear their justification, if there was any, unlike a certain Potions teacher.

"I don't want to see or even hear about any of you being here even again, no matter what. Understood?"

They murmured, "Yes, Professor."

"I sure hope so, now go, the four of you obviously haven't eaten dinner yet," said McGonagall.

She was good, not once did she refer to him as Harry, even in distress. Harry wasn't sure if he could do the same, one of these days he knows he might accidentally her 'Aunt Minnie'. The deputy headmistress watched them leave, a moment of nostalgia crashed like waves of the sea, remembering the days when James would walk around with Sirius, Remus, and Peter altogether. How he and Sirius would laugh, Remus smiling by either side, with Peter trying to keep up. It couldn't be helped, Harry did look very much like his father, and he didn't have to ruffle his hair like his father always would, it was always messy. Only first week in Hogwarts, the older staff members of Hogwarts are reminded of the Potters.

Already got himself into trouble in his first week, just like his father, yet his kind heart, much like his mother's, was the reason for his trouble. McGonagall was going to have to talk with Dumbledore on the additional protective enchantment she had added. A schedule or probably an escort for Hagrid when the half giant would come and feed his pet Cerberus, Fluffy, while the barrier's down. It wouldn't really impede an adult wizard or witch, Hagrid wouldn't be able to pass through, but it would work just as well as the Age Line against any student.

Despite all her protest, along with other staff members, Dumbledore still proceeded to place and guard the Philosopher Stone within Hogwarts. McGonagall was becoming more and more doubtful of her old friend, Dumbledore, unsatisfied with the measures they had taken to ensure the stone's protection. The suit of armor stationed all along the corridors would only react upon an intruder's attempt to leave the forbidden corridor, not from the very start as if to capture them in the act.

While the quartet headed down to the Great Hall, Harry sighed.

"I'm sorry… for getting us into trouble like that. I should have listened." Harry apologized.

"It's not your fault, not all of it anyways," replied Dean.

"Eight points…," muttered Harry.

"Is nothing, at least you earned a few points this past week. If it was me or Seamus, we'd be bummed since neither of us has even earned any points yet. But you did," Dean tried to cheer Harry up, "So don't be hung up about it, those were your points. I'm sure you'll earn more."

Seamus nodded, "That line back there, that was some piece of magic,"

"I was worried Professor McGonagall was going to expel us," said Hermione.

"Like that would ever happen," Seamus' confidence faltered, "Would it?"

"Makes you wonder, doesn't it?" Dean couldn't hide his curiosity, "What exactly they're hiding behind that door."

"Of course not!" answered Hermione, though given the way the boys were looking at her, all smug knowing she was lying, "Oh alright, I am a bit curious too."

Their look didn't change.

"Okay, a lot. You three can stop looking at me like that." Hermione huffed, smiling a bit. "I don't know why we should be talking about this. Professor McGonagall deducted points, we got into trouble."

"I know," Harry was glum upon hearing the reminder.

"Sorry," Hermione apologized.

"There's nothing wrong talking about it, Hermione," said Dean.

"Did you see how troubled she was when she found out you could pass that line?" Seamus looked at Harry, "They're really making sure no student ever goes there."

"Die a terrible death, remember?" Harry felt Trevor's struggle in his hands.

"But why keep something very dangerous at school?" Hermione was unconsciously being drawn into the conversation.

"All those suits of armor at the corridor, they sure reminded me of the guards I saw outside Buckingham Palace," pointed out Dean.

Hermione compared the suits of armor to those of the Queen's guards.

"That's it! Guards!" Hermione figured out. "That line we were thrown off, it keeps student out, but staff members like Professor McGonagall in. I'm sure there are more magical spells to guard whatever is behind that door. They're guarding something, not just keeping it."

"It must be really precious," said Harry. "Like the headmaster said, die a terrible death."

"May be he was just trying to scare us," replied Dean.

"But you saw Professor McGonagall," reminded Hermione.

Harry knew what she meant, "She wasn't just angry, she was worried. Very worried,"

"To think, we wouldn't have found out if wasn't for this toad," said Dean.

"How did you know it was there in the first place? You weren't even looking around. You just knew it was there somehow and went for it, all the way from the library," inquired Hermione.

Harry Potter was no ordinary wizard, his friends knew that very well, and there was little he could do to disprove that fact. He himself hated to admit it, his status of having survived a Killing Curse was one thing, but his wand of chimera hair solidified that fact for him.

"Did you smell it?" suggested Seamus, seeing as Harry himself looked like he wasn't sure.

'_Did I?_' Harry wondered, "No, I don't think so. I didn't smell it or hear it." He frowned in thought, "I just knew it was there."

Dean seemed eager, "May be it's something like Spider-Man's sixth sense, you sensed Trevor like Spider-Man sensed danger. It's a tingling feeling he feels at the base of skull,"

Harry vaguely remembered the cartoon character, having heard it at school, some American super hero famous enough to have boys talking about and showing off any merchandise. There was a boy in his class who would usually bring his weekly Marvel UK comic book, boys including Dudley would huddle to read it. Of course, Dudley being the mean spoiled brat that he was, had demanded Vernon to buy for him, and tease Harry by showing it off. Though like everything else Dudley usually got, he simply lost interest of it.

Seamus and Hermione were dubious.

"Spider sense?" Hermione raised an eyebrow, looking at Dean.

"It's possible, isn't it? Who knows? May be some comic book artists are wizards, Muggle born wizards," explained Dean.

"Trevor? Dangerous?" Seamus looked at the toad. "Well… if he could be if he jumps into someone mouth while they're sleeping or …"

He stopped given the peculiar looks Harry and Hermione were giving him.

"Trevor!"

Neville came running from the opened doors of the Great Hall towards the quartet, ending their talk.

"You found him!" Neville seemed very grateful, Harry was more than happy to be relieved of the toad.

"I think you should keep him in his glass tank, Neville," advised Hermione. "You'll lose it again if you don't."

"Just because Ron brings Scabbers everywhere in his pocket doesn't mean you should," added Harry.

"Can you imagine if Ron lost his rat?" wondered Seamus.

Hermione shuddered at the thought, hamsters and guinea pigs were cute, but she can't say the same for rats, especially Ron's.

"Mrs. Norris wouldn't show mercy, she'd eat it without second thoughts," commented Harry.

"Come one, I'm really hungry," said Dean, simply settling at the end of the Gryffindor table.

"You do know you have to wash your hands, Harry," said Hermione.

"Yeah, besides Trevor being a toad and all, who knows where else it had been," Seamus chuckled.

When Harry washed his hands, he pondered what exactly he had sensed behind that door. He knew it was an animal, given how Dean thought he could sense animals. He realized he had been sensing Hedwig whenever his pet owl would come during the morning delivery, or Mrs. Norris comes around a corridor with or without Mr. Filch. This time, he faintly detected the toad and went looking for it. Were the staff members protecting an animal?

'_No, it's not being guarded, it's guarding,_' Harry realized, he was sure of it.

An animal that guards. A guard dog? If it was, it must be a very big guard dog, naturally a magical one.

'_A dragon may be?'_ Harry remembered hearing about dragons being used to guard Gringott's vault when he went shopping for his school materials.

Meanwhile, up on the third floor at the forbidden corridor, Fluffy remained in constant vigilance. It was the ideal creature, a perfect guard dog according to Hagrid. Due to the fact a Cerberus possesses three heads, it's possible for its heads to take turns when it comes to sleeping. Keep watch twenty four hours days, seven days a week. Any intruder, the two heads would simply wake up the third head if it was asleep.

Unknown to Harry, Fluffy had all three of its heads awake and on the alert when it had picked up Harry's faint smell.

* * *

**Well, that's that for now. Like I said, even I think this chapter isn't eventful. If you think it was better than expected, then I'm grateful. I hope I can make it up with the future chapters, especially about the troll during Halloween. I'd say this chapter is more like setting up the platform for the firecracker to blow. Acknowledgment to ARedHair for the inspiration to this story.  
**

**Rate and review, if there's anything vague that needs clarifying, do point out. I might have been vague with or without knowing. **


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